Losing My Religion
by phoenixwritesSPN
Summary: *This is the fourth installment of my SPN fanfiction series! Read the other three first if you haven't already! [Dean/OFC] *s4* (Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.)
1. No One Ever Loved

_No one ever loved  
No one ever lost as hard as I  
No one ever came  
No one ever saw the crystalline in his eyes  
Starry sky, paradise  
In his eyes  
In his arms, don't leave me now  
Crystalline, don't fail me now  
…._

 _Heaven must have known  
Heaven must have laid stardust in your eyes  
To shine the light  
Across the hurt into my eyes  
I see you now  
Purple shrine was never mine  
Angel line, you fell right down  
_… _._

 _And it kills me every time  
Every star will fall right down  
And it kills me every time  
Every star will fall right down_

 _You're the diamond in the gutter_  
 _You're the hole inside my heart_  
 _You're the one I will remember_  
 _Every night before the dawn_

 _You're the diamond in the gutter  
You're the hole inside my heart  
You're the one I will remember  
Every night before the dawn  
Every night before the dawn  
Every night before the dawn meets the light_

 **Lykke Li – No One Ever Loved**

* * *

Since everything happened back in Indiana, I hadn't really spoken. I was numb. I felt...well, I felt like shit. The color seemed to have drained in the world around me. Everything passed in a blur. The only thing that reminded me of the reality of what I was doing right now was the sun beating down on my back.

With another heavy sigh, I pushed the shovel hard into the dirt, ignoring the searing pain coming from the deep wounds in my hip, throwing another pile of soil onto the ground beside me as Sam did the same. I heard footsteps approach, not needing to look up to know who it was.

"Kids-"

"Bobby." I stopped him, squinting as I looked up at him in the sun.

"I was just going to ask if you wanted some water."

"No, I'm fine." I muttered, going back to digging as Sam shook his head.

Bobby sighed crouching at the edge of the pit. "Want some company?"

"Doesn't matter." I shrugged.

To be honest, I was upset with Bobby. I knew I shouldn't be, but I was angry at the whole world right now and in my mind, he gave me a reason to be mad with what he'd suggested. I couldn't even fathom doing what he'd said. It just wasn't an option to me.

* * *

" _Kids, listen...I hate to do this to you, but I think it'd be a good idea to just...get this over with when we get back." Bobby muttered, glancing over at Sam and I from the driver side of the Impala._

" _Get what over with?" Sam asked from the backseat._

" _Don't make me say it."_

" _We're not doing that." I said, my voice void of all emotion._

" _What are we gonna do with him then?"_

" _What are we gonna do?!" I snapped, a wave of anger rushing through me. "Stop the car."_

" _Vic-"_

" _I said, stop the car."_

" _Calm down-" Bobby started. Without warning, I shifted the car into park, hearing the engine stall underneath us as Bobby guided the Impala over to a clearing. "Are you crazy?"_

 _I didn't answer, getting out of the car, moving around to the trunk, pulling out a shovel before making my way over to a large plot of empty land, hearing Sam walking behind me. "What are you doing?"_

" _What does it look like?"I asked, pealing my jacket off before pushing the shovel into the soft dirt._

" _Vic, you know what we have to do. Dean would want it that way." Bobby muttered._

" _No, Bobby. I'm not doing that. I can't do it. We're burying him."_

 _"Here?"_

 _"Yes, here."_

 _"What about your side? You need to rest so it'll heal."_

 _"I don't fucking care!" I exclaimed, letting out a hard breath as I looked back at them, my eyes landing on Sam. "Are you gonna help?"_

 _"Yeah." Sam nodded, grabbing a shovel before making his way over to me, the both of us starting in on the grave._

* * *

"Listen, I know you're mad at me-"

"Bobby, I'm not mad at you."

"I just suggested what I thought was right."

"I know."

Bobby let out a huff, thankfully dropping the subject. "Do you two want help?"

"Don't worry about it." Sam muttered. "We're okay."

"Alright." Bobby said, getting up.

I didn't turn to watch him go, going back to digging along with Sam. Every few minutes, I'd glace over at him, seeing him holding back his tears. I knew this was important to him. That it would have been too hard to do this Bobby's way for him as well. Hours had passed and it was dark out, but we were finally done. Bobby helped Sam and I lower Dean's body into the pine box we'd placed inside the grave. I hung back, giving Sam some time before I went back over to Dean.

I could feel Bobby and Sam's eyes on me as I went, but I couldn't make myself care.

"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't figure out how to stop this." I muttered, the tears streaming down my face as I started to break, looking down at him. "But I promise you, I will find a way to get you back. If it's the last thing I do. I'm gonna do it, okay? I- I love you, baby. I'm sorry...I just- I love you."

After a few moments of silence, I pulled his ring and bracelets off, seeing that Sam had already taken the amulet from around his neck. I slipped the bracelets onto my wrist, placing the ring in my back pocket as I stepped away from him, taking one last look as I wiped my tears away.

* * *

" _Help! No!_ _Somebody help me!_ "

 _I heard Dean call, but no matter where I looked, I couldn't find him. I felt as though I was just stumbling around a dark room until suddenly, images of Dean tied up by his wrists and ankles with with barbed wire, the spikes digging into his flesh as he hung there. I shut my eyes tightly, trying to get rid of the images, but that didn't work, they just kept coming. Ones of Dean's face, his mouth full of blood as he screamed, his eyes wide with terror, the barbed wire now wrapped tightly around his torso as well, cutting into his skin along with a large hook pushed through his shoulder._

" _Sam?!" Dean shouted, his voice full of panic. "_ _Tori!"_

Suddenly, my eyes snapped open as my heart beat rapidly in my chest. I looked around the room in fear, taking a moment to remember where I was. The motel. We'd gotten a motel room instead of driving through the night.

With a sigh, I glanced over to my side, thinking I'd see Dean there, having my heart break all over again when I realized and remembered why he wasn't. The realization of that fact that I'd never really slept without him hit me then, and as trivial as it might have been, it made me break down all over again. I stared up at the ceiling, allowing the tears to flow freely from my eyes in the darkness, trying to hold in my sobs so I wouldn't wake Sam.

I knew I'd never truly get over Dean being gone. I'd never understand why it had to happen. And I'd never stop being angry.

But I also knew that my anger would fuel me. It would push me to do whatever it was I had to...until I got him back.

* * *

 **First chapter of Losing My Religion! It's a little short, but it's more of an introduction than anything.**

 **What episode are you looking forward to reading most?**

 ***Note: This chapter may change very slightly, depending on if I get any other ideas or feel the need to. I'm very indecisive sometimes, so I probably won't, but I'm still warning you...just in case ;)**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you like this story!**

 **Stalk me ;D**

 **Twitter: phoenixwrites79  
Instagram: phoenixwritesfanfiction**


	2. Hurricane

_No matter how many breaths that you took  
You still couldn't breathe  
No matter how many nights that you lie wide awake  
To the sound of the poison rain  
Where did you go?_

 _..._

 _No matter how many lies that I live  
I will never regret  
There is a fire inside and it's starting a riot  
About to explode into flames  
Where is your god?  
_…

 _The promises we made we not enough  
The prayers that we had prayed were like a drug  
Secrets that we sold, we'll never know  
The love we had, the love we had  
We had to let it go_

 _Tell me, would you to kill to save a life?  
Tell me, would you kill to prove you're right?  
Crash, crash  
Burn, let it all burn  
This hurricane's chasing us all underground _

_**Thirty Seconds To Mars – Hurricane**_

* * *

Two months had passed by without Dean...without any leads, without any solutions. We had been trying anything we could think of every single day. Speaking to witches, demons...whatever supernatural being we could get our hands on, really. We even tried to open the gate to hell, much to Bobby's dismay.

But that didn't even work. Nothing fucking worked.

If that wasn't enough to drive me completely insane, my nightmares were...crippling. Every single time I shut my eyes, I saw Dean being tortured in some horrific way. Whether it be him being whipped, slashes, torn to shreds...it was all so horrible.

I wasn't sure why my mind loved to torture me so much. I hadn't told Sam, knowing he didn't need to hear about any of that, needless to say, he was a wreck. Probably in an even worse state then Dean was when things we reversed.

My feet hit the hard soil as I stepped out of the driver side of the Impala, the box of ingredients in my hands. Sam stumbled behind me, resting on the hood for a minute.

"I told you to stay in the car." I said, turning back to him.

"I'm not staying in the damn car." He slurred, clearly drunk. I wasn't about to let him make a deal with a demon when he was like this.

"Sam, you don't have to be a part of this."

"Yes, I do! Dean was- is my brother. I'm part of this, goddammit!"

"Alright. Okay. Just calm down." I muttered, turning back towards the crossroads.

Sam walked rather slowly over to the center, getting there after I'd already buried the box. I stood upright, looking around when that same nauseous feeling hit me like a ton of bricks.

"I was wondering whether to come or not." The dark-haired demon muttered, glancing up at Sam. "I mean, you shot one of my co-workers."

Sam sneered at her, narrowing his eyes. I stood in front of him, staring the demon down as I pulled out Ruby's knife, lying it on the ground. "Here. No devil's traps either. You're safe."

"Well, well." She smiled, taking a step over to me. "Little Victoria. You don't look so hot. I guess burying Dean didn't agree with you, did it? Let me guess. You want to make a deal. And 'round and 'round the Winchesters go. Well, I'm sorry. That's not gonna happen."

"Listen you fucking bitch, I don't want ten years. I don't want one year. I don't want candy!" Sam exclaimed, advancing towards her. "I want to trade places with Dean."

"No."

"Just take me! It's a fair trade!"

"Sam, stop it." I snapped, pushing him back. I walked over in front of the demon, staring into her eyes as they flashed black before me. "I know how bad you demons want me dead. Take me. Leave Sam-"

"Tori!" Sam called, his eyes wide as he rushed back over, grabbing my arm.

"Take me. Let Dean go." I continued, ignoring him.

"I can't do that." The demon mumbled.

"Bullshit."

"It's not bullshit. Believe me, I want you in hell bad. But there are two reasons why I can't. One, your _friends_ would be on my ass in a fraction of a second. I'd need a little more backup to take your soul right now."

"My _friends_? Who the hell are you talking about?"

"Tiny cherubs."

"What?" I asked incredulously. "You get knocked around a little too hard in hell?"

"Cute." She muttered dryly, continuing. "Dean's in hell, right where we want him. Being tortured mercilessly….his soul broken to pieces until-"

"Fuck you."

"How sweet….I'll be going now." The demon smiled, taking a step away from me.

While she wasn't looking, I took the real knife out of the back of my jeans, grabbing her by the arm, thrusting the blade into her back, watching the bright red and yellow light shined inside of her before fading away as I let her body drop to the ground at my feet.

Rage and anger seemed to take over me so easily these days. Even though a feeling of guilt lingered in the back of my mind, I didn't put much thought into doing what I'd just done.

And I hated myself for that.

I turned around to see Sam staring at me, his eyes slightly wide as I wiped the blood that had gotten on my hand off on my jeans, passing by him as I walked back to the Impala without another word.

* * *

 **MOTEL – NIGHT**

After drinking about another half a bottle of whiskey, Sam stumbled behind me as I walked towards our motel room, that same nauseous feeling in my stomach. I didn't give it much thought, pushing the key into the door. As soon as I moved into the room, a woman grabbed me pushing me against the wall, placing an arm across my throat as a man grabbed Sam.

"Thanks for keeping this warm for me, angel." She smiled, taking Ruby's knife while I struggled against her grip.

"Ruby?"

"It's nice to be back. Where I was, even for hell, it was nasty. I guess I really pissed Lilith off. Imagine my relief when she gave me one last chance to take it topside. And all I had to do was find Sam and kill him."

"Go ahead and try, bitch." I hissed. "I won't let you. You'll have to kill me first."

"That can be arranged." Ruby picked up the knife, quickly turning and stabbing the man she was with, watching him drop to the floor before turning back to us. "We've got to go."

"What?" Sam asked, looking at her with wide eyes.

"Now!" She exclaimed, heading towards the Impala. I quickly stalked after her, grabbing her arm roughly. "What are you doing?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing."

"I'm helping. Duh. You don't trust me, do you?"

"What do you think?"

"Dean being gone has done a number on you, huh?" Ruby asked, looking at me closely. "I can see it in your eyes."

"I swear to god, I will send your dumb ass back to hell right now."

"Hey, hey-"

"Tori, just get in the car." Sam said, rushing outside with bags over his shoulders, clearly having sobered up.

"Listen to Sam."

"I don't like this." I muttered.

"You don't have to." Ruby said, getting into the back seat. I pulled in a deep breath, sliding into the driver seat, starting up the car. "You know what sounds good? French fries. I'm starving."

"Too bad."

"Hey, I just escaped hell. I deserve a treat. And you know, a _thank you_ would be nice.

"Who asked for your help?" I snapped, glancing back at her.

"You have no idea what I've been through. When Lilith gets pissed, she gets creative. You want to hear about the corners of hell I've seen?"

"No." I mumbled, flashes of Dean's chest being slashed by razors flooding my brain.

"I'm a fugitive. I took all of this risk to get back to you, so, yeah, I deserve a damn thank you."

"Well, you're gonna be waiting a long time if you want one from me."

"Can you help us save Dean?" Sam asked, finally speaking up.

"No. Nothing I know of is powerful enough to do that." Ruby muttered.

"Then get out." I said, stopping the car on the side of the road.

"Excuse me?"

"Get out."

"Wait a minute, I'm here to help you! To save Sam-"

"Who asked you to save me?" Sam asked. "I'm fine."

"You won't be if Lilith finds you."

Sam glanced up at me, the both of us a sharing a look before he turned back to Ruby. "Whose body are you riding?"

"What do you care? You've never asked me that before."

"I'm asking now."

"Some secretary."

"Let her go."

"Sam-"

"Or I send you right back to hell." Sam added, his voice threatening. Ruby stared at him for a minute before letting out a heavy sigh as she got out of the car, throwing her head back with a scream as the black smoke poured out of the woman's body.

"Oh- oh god. Where am I?" The woman asked in a panicked voice, looking around with wide eyes.

I got out of the car, slowly making my way over to her. "Are you okay?"

"No, I- I don't know where I am."

"Okay. I can drop you off at a hospital." I suggested. The woman looked at me cautiously, a little weary. "My brother and I were just running to the store. We wouldn't mind, honestly."

"A- alright. Thank you."

"My name's Tori."

"Jen."

"Okay, come on." I smiled, leading her to the back of the Impala, helping her inside.

* * *

Once Sam and I had gotten the woman to a hospital, we found our way to an abandoned house, deciding to stay there for the night.

"Where do you think Ruby went?" I asked, lighting a candle.

"I don't know."

"I don't trust her, Sam."

"I know."

"But you do."

"No-"

"Yes, you do. Don't lie."

"I just- if she can help us-"

"With what? She can't get Dean back, Sam." I said, walking over to him. "I'm just finding it hard to believe that a _demon_ would put her ass on the line like this without something being in it for her."

"Maybe she's just-"

"What? Different? I don't think demons can be different, Sam. If she comes back, we gotta tell her to leave."

"Tori-"

"Sam." I said, stopping him. "It's what we need to do."

Just then, there was a knock on the door, my stomach churning. I grabbed a shotgun, slowly making my way over to the door, opening it to see a pretty brunette standing there. She smiled at me, holding up a piece of paper.

"Proof that this body is one hundred percent socially conscious."

I took the paper from her as she strode in the room, reading it over. "You possessed a coma patient?"

"I recycle. _Al Gore_ would be proud." Ruby said, looking over at Sam's slightly disapproving expression. "You didn't want me to take a body with someone in it. I made sure that the spirit was gone. Apartment was empty. You happy?"

"Why are you here?" Sam asked.

"I can't bring Dean back. But I can get you something else that you want."

"And what's that?"

"Lilith."

"How?" I asked.

"With Sam."

"What?"

"You want me to use my psychic...whatever?" Sam asked.

Ruby sighed. "Look, I know that it spooks you-"

"I'm ready." Sam nodded "Let's go."

"Whoa, whoa. That is not happening." I said, walking over to him.

"Just tell me what I have to do."

"Look, Lilith is one scary bitch. When I was in the Pit, there was talk. She's cooking up something big. Apocalyptic big." Ruby explained.

"Hello?" I called, looking between the two as they ignored me.

"So let's kill her." Sam replied.

"You want to go in there and half-ass it like before?" Ruby asked. "We have the time to get it right. Let's get it right."

"Hey! I'm still fucking here!" I shouted, finally getting their attention, looking up at Sam. "You cannot start that shit back up again-"

"If I could kill Lilith-"

"I don't fucking care!"

"I want Lilith dead. I thought you did, too."

"Not if it kills you in the process!" I exclaimed. "You can't just give up on looking for Dean to go try and kill Lilith."

"Tori, we've been at this for months. We can't find a single way to bring Dean back. What else is there to do?"

"Anything but this." I muttered. "Dean wouldn't want this, Sam."

"This isn't about what Dean would want." Sam said, turning back to Ruby. "What do you want from me?"

Ruby stared over at me as I glared at her for a moment before looking to Sam, letting out a heavy sigh. "Well, a little patience...and sobriety. Promise me that, and I will teach you everything I know."

"I swear to god, you do that..." I hissed, stepping towards her. "I won't just send you back to hell. I will straight up put a knife through your fucking heart."

"Tori." Sam called, his voice hard. "Stop it."

"Me, stop it? _Me_?" I asked, turning back to him. "You're joking."

"I want to do this."

"I can't let you, Sam."

"You don't have a choice." Sam sighed, looking up at me with sad eyes. Ruby stood over to the side, watching us warily before disappearing from view. "Maybe you- maybe you should head back to Bobby's."

"What?" I asked, my heart dropping. "Sam-"

"You can't stop me from doing this. So either you stay..."

"Or go...?" I finished incredulously. "I can't- you're not serious."

"I don't want you to get hurt trying to stop me."

"This bitch is back for five minutes and she's already brainwashing you into doing this shit?" I asked, getting angry. "Don't you think something's wrong with that?"

"She's not brainwashing me, I want to see Lilith dead. I don't care what I have to do."

"I can't watch that happen to you." I said, tears in my eyes.

"I know." Sam nodded, his own tears forming.

I pulled the keys out of my pocket, holding them out to Sam. "Here."

"No, you take the car. I think Dean would want you to have it."

"I don't think Dean would ever think about deciding _who_ should have it. We were supposed to stay together, Sam."

"If I do this and you stay, will you try to stop me?"

"...of course."

"Then you might get hurt. I don't want that. Dean wouldn't either."

"Then I guess I don't have another choice."

"I guess not."

"Okay." I nodded, the tears beginning to stream down my cheeks as I looked up at him. "Please don't do this, Sam. You- you're all I have left."

"I have to."

When I realized I wasn't going to be able to change his mind, I pulled him to me, giving him a tight hug. "Take care of yourself, Shorty."

"You, too." Sam sighed as I pulled back, looking over to where Ruby once stood. I swear, I'm gonna kill that bitch the next chance I get.

After getting my stuff together, I took one last look at Sam, trying to remember him this way, knowing that the next time I saw him – if I ever did see him again – there's a good chance that he might not be this way anymore.

* * *

 **Sorry for not posting sooner, I've been taking care of my friend's little doggy, so I haven't had much time to write.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Twitter: phoenixwrites79  
Instagram: phoenixwritesfanfiction**


	3. Cosmic Love

_A falling star fell from your heart  
And landed in my eyes  
I screamed aloud as it tore through them  
And now it's left me blind  
_…

 _In the dark  
I can heart your heartbeat_  
 _I tried to find the sound_  
 _But then it stopped_  
 _And I was in the darkness_  
 _So darkness I became  
_

 _...  
_

 _I took the stars from my eyes_  
 _And then I made a map_  
 _I knew that somehow_  
 _I could find my way back_  
 _Then I heart your heart beating_  
 _You were in the darkness, too_  
 _So I stayed in the darkness with you_

 _The stars, the moon  
They have all been blown out  
You've left me in the dark  
No dawn, no day  
I'm always in this twilight  
In the shadow of your heart _

_**Florence and the Machine – Cosmic Love**_

* * *

It almost amazed me how much my life had changed over the past few months. I didn't quite know how to deal with it all, to be honest. I felt as though I'd lost everyone, everything. The two most important people in my life had all but disappeared.

Sam didn't answer his phone anymore, leaving me to wonder if something had happened or if he was just ignoring me _for my own good._

Over the past few weeks, I'd still been trying to find ways to get Dean back, on my own. I'd lost count of how many crossroads demons I'd summoned by now. Each of them said the same thing. No.

Every single time I got on the phone with Bobby, he asked me to go back to South Dakota. I always told him that I would eventually, but there was just one more thing I needed to try first. I hated myself for even thinking it, but this time when he asked, I couldn't lie.

There was nothing left for me to try.

However, there was something that I needed to do first, which was why I was on my way to Pontiac, Illinois...one last time.

After a good three hour drive from where I was last, I pulled the Impala up in front of a now overgrown clearing, walking over to the faint outline of fresh grass where the soil had been disrupted. I bent down, clearing away the weeds from the small cross that was pushed into the ground, tears flowing from my eyes as I fell to my knees.

I was sad, I was hopeless...I was tired. Not only were my nightmares constant every time I tried to sleep, I could still hear Dean's screams echoing through my mind when I was awake. Like right now, they were there. Loud. Clear as day like he was right beside me.

 _You're stronger than me._

Something that Dean had said quite few times over the last year always seemed to find it's way to break through the screams, taunting me.

Because I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't stop him from selling his soul in the first place. I couldn't stop him from dying. Now, I couldn't get him back. I couldn't stop hearing the screaming. I was slowly, but surely losing my mind.

I cried until all my tears were gone, and I couldn't seem to cry anymore. When I got back up, I saw that the sun was starting to set, realizing how long I'd actually been here. As hard as it was to leave, it was even harder to stay. So I made my way back to the Impala, glancing back at the grave site as I drove away.

A little farther down the road, I saw a small church not able to keep my eyes off of it as I passed. With a sigh, I pulled into the parking lot. I wasn't exactly sure what I was doing here, but I guess deep down there was a part of me that hoped for some kind of peace.

There were no other people in here as I entered, breathing in that familiar clear scent that all churches seemed to have. Though I noticed that I didn't get that peaceful feeling I was hoping for. Maybe there was just too much stress in me now. Something a building couldn't fix.

I had prayed countless times, but that never worked. Nothing ever happened. I was growing more and more convinced that I was praying to nothing.

"Hello?" A male voice came from behind me, a very faint ringing flooding my ears. Out of reflex and paranoia, I quickly pulled out my gun pointing it at the dark-haired man, who quickly held his hands up. "Whoa!"

I glanced over at the gun, almost as if I didn't realized what I'd done until just now. I hurried up and tucked back in my jeans, shaking my head at myself. "I, uh, sorry."

"It's okay." He said, approaching slowly until he got to the pew I was in. "Can I sit?"

"I just pointed a gun at you."

"Yeah, well...forgive, forget." He shrugged, looking down at me with a small smile. I raised an eyebrow, staring up into his blue eyes with a confused look for a moment.

"O...kay." I mumbled, scooting over slightly.

The man sat down next to me with a smile. "I'm Jimmy."

"Hi."

"You know, I don't normally come here at this time of day."

"Alright." I nodded, not really knowing what else to say.

I had to admit, this was strange and I felt a little weird. I mean, I was just about to shoot him not even a minute ago and he wanted to have a nice little conversation.

"I've never seen you around here before." He said, a strange look coming into his eyes.

"Yeah, well, I've never been in here before. Just passing through. I was about to leave, actually."

"Wait, I-" Jimmy started, stopping as he glanced up to the ceiling for a moment before looking back to me. "This might sound weird, but I- well, I _really_ never come here during this time of the day."

"Yeah, you said that. And?"

"I don't know how to do this." He mumbled to himself, letting out a sigh. "Well...something told me to."

" _Something_ _told you to_?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

" _Someone,_ more specifically."

" _Someone_?"

"Do you- do you believe in angels?" He asked suddenly, his piercing blue eyes staring into my mine.

I stared at him blankly for a moment before scoffing, shaking my head. "Please."

"I'm serious."

"What are you saying, that an _angel_ told you to come here?"

"Yes." Jimmy nodded. "He- he told me to speak to you."

"Oh, he _told_ you to come speak to me?" I asked sarcastically. "Listen buddy...I hate to break it to you, but I don't think angels are real."

"They are." Jimmy said, looking away for a moment. "I thought at least _you_ would believe me."

"What?"

"N- nothing. You really don't believe in angels?"

"After what I've been through...I don't know anymore." I said honestly, feeling a pang of sadness in my chest.

It was always nice to think there was some kind of higher power out there. One that wasn't evil, one that was giving and caring. One that would quietly battle all the evil in the world. But going through what I have, I realized the ones quietly battling evil weren't fat, winged babies playing harps on top of fluffy clouds – they were people like the Winchesters.

"They are." Jimmy said, looking up into my eyes. "Don't you- do you hear a ringing?"

"What?"

"A ringing. In your ears?"

I swallowed hard, glancing over at him. "How- how do you know about that?"

"Because I hear it, too."

"Great, then we're both crazy."

"It's the angels."

"Sure. Whatever you say." I nodded, trying to appease him. I stood to my feet, glancing down at him. "It was nice to meet you, but I think it's time for me to go."

I could feel his eyes on me as I moved down the isle, hearing him get up to follow after me. "Wait, just one second please?"

"I really have to go." I said, not turning around.

"Victoria, wait."

I froze in place, at the mention of my name, whipping around to face him. "How do you know my name?"

"I told you. The angel, Cas-"

"Bullshit." I hissed, pulling my gun out again. "Tell me how you know my name, and how you knew where'd I be."

"I told you." Jimmy repeated, staring at the gun for a moment before looking back up to me. " _He_ said you needed someone to reassure you that everything will be okay, and that I was to do that."

"Well, why didn't he just come and tell me himself then?"

"He can't. Not yet." Jimmy said simply, acting like I wasn't holding a gun on him. "I know things are tough right now-"

"You don't know shit!" I exclaimed.

"That's not true. I'm just trying to help."

"Listen, if I see you again-" I paused, not able to force a threat out of my mouth as I looked into his eyes. "Just leave me alone."

"Okay. I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. That's not what I wanted to do." Jimmy apologized, his blue eyes boring into me I stared at him for a few more seconds before pulling my eyes away, tucking the gun into my jeans before heading back outside to the Impala.

My hands were shaking as I tried to put the keys in the ignition, something about that encounter shaking me to my core.

* * *

 **SIOUX FALLS, SD – NIGHT**

It was dark by the time I'd gotten back to Bobby's, the sun finally setting in the sky, leaving it dark and cloudy. I grabbed my bag out from the backseat, slinging it over my shoulder as I headed up the porch steps, knocking lightly on the door.

Not even a second later, Bobby answered, his face falling when he saw me.

"What?" I asked.

"When was the last time you ate?"

"I had something this morning." I lied, moving past him into the house.

Truthfully, I can't remember the last time I actually ate something. Every time I tried, I just couldn't keep it down with all the horrible images of Dean in my head.

"It's good to see you." Bobby smiled sadly, pulling me to him. I hugged him back, reveling in the warmth of his embrace.

"Thanks for letting me stay here."

"Vic, you don't have to thank me. You can come here whenever you want."

"I know." I nodded, smiling at him as I pulled back.

"You better. Have you heard from Sam?"

"Nope. I just hope he's alright."

"The hell is wrong with that boy?"

"He thinks he's doing the right thing. Believe me, Bobby...if there was some way for me to kill Lilith, I would."

"Yeah, well, if he ain't going dumbest route possible."

"Can't say I disagree with you there."

"Why don't you try and get some sleep?" Bobby asked, finally noticing the bruise-like shadows underneath my eyes.

I sighed, glancing up the stairs. "...yeah, maybe I'll try to sleep for a bit."

"Good. There's some leftover pizza in the fridge, if you want it."

"Okay." I nodded, making my way up the creaky steps to the bedroom.

I felt a pang of sadness hit my heart as I looked over at the beds, picturing Dean and I in here back when we first started our relationship, making out on the bed. We kept everything a secret for so long, but I'm still not exactly sure how we even did that. We could never keep our hands off each other.

And that hadn't really changed over the years, either. God, I missed his touch.

Wiping a stray tear off my cheek, I threw my bag on the bed, sitting down next to it with a sigh. My eyelids started getting heavy, the idea of sleep sounding better and better. Maybe I wouldn't have any nightmares this time. Maybe my mind will finally stop trying to make me suffer.

I laid down, hoping that I was right, not even bothering to change out of my clothes. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light

 _Like countless other times, a_ _thick fog fell over me as I_ _re_ _opened my eyes_ _to see_ _a dark room._ _Though, this time, something was...different. I just_ _didn't know_ _what._

 _My breathing became shallow as I slowly walked towards the only door in the room. My hand shook as I reached out for the doorknob, something telling me I wouldn't like what I saw on the other side._ _The door was barely open an inch when I heard whimpering and crying._ _I furrowed my brow at the sound, knowing right away it wasn't Dean._

" _Please! Please, stop! Please!" A woman cried hysterically. I pulled in a shaky breath, pushing the door open all the way to see a long brick hallway with a dark red floor ahead of me. I slowly walked through, not in any rush even though I wanted to know what was happening._

 _Where was Dean?_

 _Eventually, I'd made my way to the door at the end of the hallway, taking another deep breath before pushing it open. I squinted through the murky fog in the room, moving inside cautiously. I could see a faint figure in the distance, and the closer I got, the clearer the image became._

 _There was a blonde woman chained up to a board, much like Dean had been a few times before, black mascara running down her face._

" _Please!" She cried, looking at the figure in front of her with pleading eyes. I felt sick as the person picked up a large knife, holding it above a flame before slowly running it across her bare stomach, creating a deep gash while she screamed._

" _You can do better than that." A sinister voice muttered, his voice echoing. I quickly looked around, but couldn't see who it came from._

" _I know."_

 _I gasped at the voice that replied, knowing exactly who it was without any question. Suddenly, the figure in front of me was clear as day and I saw Dean standing there, moving the large knife in his hand above the girls chest, hovering there, seeming hesitant.  
_

" _Dean?" I asked, my voice shaking._

 _He turned around, looking in my direction. My eyes widened as I saw that his normally bright green eyes had turned solid black. I could've sworn he saw me there when he swallowed hard, shaking his head as he turned back around, not moving for a few more moments. Before I knew what was even happening, I let out a scream as Dean suddenly plunged the knife into the girl's chest, dragging it all the way down to her stomach as she remained conscious, crying and screaming in absolute agony._

Jolting awake, I felt bile rise in my throat as my eyes adjusted to the bright room. When I realized I was back in the real world, I quickly got out of bed, running into the bathroom to empty the contents of my stomach, or lack-thereof, into the toilet.

At a certain point, I just kept gagging, images of Dean' s eyes turning black as he stabbed the girl flashed in my mind and I couldn't seem to stop them.

* * *

After I brushed my teeth and calmed down a little, I made my way downstairs, hearing Bobby rustling around his desk while the TV played quietly in the background. I turned the corner, seeing him glance up at me for a moment before going back to the papers in his hands.

"Morning."

"Morning." I replied, heading into the kitchen. "You want coffee?"

"No."

"Alright." I mumbled, filling up the coffee pot.

"How'd you sleep?"

"What?"

"How did you sleep?" Bobby repeated, now leaning in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Oh, uh, fine." I shrugged, turning back to the counter as I scoped some coffee grounds into the pot.

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. Why?"

"Because Vic, I heard you screaming."

"You- what?" I asked, turning around to face him.

"I heard you screaming bloody murder. What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Vic."

"Bobby."

"What happened?" Bobby repeated, locking eyes with me.

I let out a breath, looking down to the ground as tears welled up in my eyes. "You'll think I'm crazy."

"I've seen a lot of crazy. Surprise me."

"Ever since Dean's been gone, I've been having these horrible nightmares about- about him." I muttered, a part of me feeling good to get it off my chest.

"About?"

"Him getting tortured. Badly. Any horrible thing you can think of, I've seen it done to him. Over and over again."

Bobby stared at me his eyes slightly wide. "What?"

"Yeah. Still don't think I'm crazy?"

"Do you think these things are...real?"

"How can they be? I just- I just I think I've really lost it, Bobby." I said, tears flowing down my cheeks. "I- I'm fucking insane."

"Don't say that, Vic."

"What other reason would there be?"

"I'm not sure." Bobby sighed. "I can- I can call someone up-"

"I'm not talking to a fucking shrink."

"No. A psychic."

"No. Don't waste anybody's time. It's all in my head."

"You need to see her if this doesn't stop."

"Yeah, sure." I nodded, going back to making coffee.

* * *

A few sleepless days had passed and I was trying to do anything to keep myself awake at this point, even going as far as watching stupid soap operas. I heard a knock on the door, glancing over at Bobby, who got up to answer it. A few moments later, he came back in the room with a dark-haired woman that looked to be a few years older than me.

"Vic, this is Pamela." Bobby announced.

"Okay." I nodded. "Hi."

"Hey." She smiled.

"You two going on a date or something?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, she's the psychic I was telling you about." Bobby rolled his eyes, shaking his head, probably fighting off the urge to call me an idjit.

"I told you I didn't want to see a damn psychic." I spat, glancing over at her. "No offense."

"None taken." She shrugged.

"Vic, you need to. You haven't slept in days-"

"And I'm fine."

"No, you're not."

"Listen, Bobby's told me a few things." Pamela muttered. "That you've been having some pretty wicked nightmares."

"Yeah." I sighed, folding my arms like a pissed-off teenager.

"I just want to try and help you out here. Get to the bottom of this."

"How?"

"Maybe I can figure out why you're having these nightmares in the first place." She said, sitting next to me. "I have a theory, but I'm not too sure. Give me your hand?"

"Okay." I nodded, holding my hand out to her. She took it gently, tracing a finger of the lines in my palm before placing a clear crystal there, looking at it intently. Suddenly, she let go, looking up at me with wide eyes. "You've seen some shit, huh?"

"What?"

"Those visions of Dean."

"Visions? Wait, you saw them?"

"Just now, yeah."

"How?"

"I have my ways. Do you have something of Dean's?"

"Yeah, this." I said, pulling Dean's bracelet off, placing it into her open palm.

"Alright." She murmured, taking my hand again. I watched as she moved the bracelet over into my palm, folding my fingers around it as she held onto my fist with both hands, her eyes shut. A few moments later she looked up at me, a spark of triumph mixed with sadness there. "I knew it."

"Knew what?"

"Well, it's not really _good_."

"So it's bad, then-"

"Not _bad._ At least not in any other situation except this particular one."

"What are you talking about?" Bobby asked.

"I've never seen anything like this before." Pamela said, looking back to me. "Do you believe in soul mates?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "Why?"

"You and Dean...your souls are literally _bound_ together. The connection is so strong, all I had to do was touch you and something of his to _feel_ it. It's so strong that..."

"That, what?" I asked, fearing her answer.

"All of those nightmares...they're not nightmares. They're visions. They're real. You can see what's happening to Dean's soul."

I ripped my hand out of hers, shaking my head. "That can't be true."

"It is."

"Where the hell did you find her?" I asked Bobby. "She has no idea what she's talking about."

"Well, excuse you." Pamela mumbled. "I know this is a lot to take in, Victoria. But it's the truth."

"She's been doing this a long time, Vic." Bobby said. I noticed the fact that even his voice was shaking slightly, telling me right away that he believed her.

And if he believed and trusted her...then...

"No." I murmured, the realization that all the things I'd seen actually happened to him hit me, making me feel sick. All the torture, all the pain...he really went through it. "Oh my god."

"Come here." Pamela muttered, pulling me to her as I started sobbing.

All of these revelations completely shocked me, the weight of what it all meant crashing down. A million thoughts bombarded my brain all at once, one in particular more prominent than the rest. There would never be a way to stop this, to end either of our suffering.

I wasn't sure how I'd go on living with that...or if I even could.

* * *

 **Lazarus Rising is up next! Who's ready to see Dean again?  
**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Twitter: phoenixfire79  
Instagram: phoenixwritesfanfiction  
**


	4. Lazarus Rising

_Fumbling his confidence  
And wondering why the world has passed him by  
Hoping that he's meant for more than arguments  
And failed attempts to fly  
Fly  
_…

 _Dreaming about providence  
And whether mice or men have second tries  
Maybe we've been living with our eyes half open  
Maybe we're bent and broken  
Broken_

 _We were meant to live for so much more  
Have we lost ourselves  
Somewhere we live inside  
Somewhere we live inside  
We were meant to live for so much more  
Have we lost ourselves  
Some where we live inside_

 _We want more than this world's got to offer  
We want more than this world's got to offer  
We want more than the wars of our fathers  
And everything inside screams for second life _

_**Switchfoot – Meant To Live**_

* * *

While other days had passed in a blur, this one was very, very different. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something just felt...off. The dream I'd had last night left me with an anxious feeling, mostly because I wasn't sure why it even happened.

Why was I torturing myself like this?

Another month had passed with me staying at Bobby's, not hearing a single peep from Sam, and my nightmares still continuing. Only this time...Dean wasn't the one being tortured anymore. It was the other way around.

I knew Pamela said we had a connection, but I just couldn't bring myself to believe that Dean would do that. I couldn't.

Trying to ignore the feeling inside of me, I made my way downstairs, finding Bobby sitting at his desk again, reading over a book.

"Morning." I called.

"Morning?" Bobby asked, glancing up at me. "More like afternoon."

"What time is it?"

"A little after three."

"Oh, wow. Then what do you want for dinner?" I asked, heading into the kitchen to see what was in the refrigerator. "I could make chili."

"Yeah, alright." Bobby nodded, going back to his book.

A little while later, I stood at the stove, slowly mixing the sauce that was cooking in the pot in front of me. Suddenly, the ringing in my ears got so loud that it was actually painful. I leaned down on the counter, letting out a pained groan.

"Vic?" Bobby called, rushing over to my side, catching me as I nearly fell to the ground. "What's wrong?"

"I don't- I don't know." I murmured, shutting my eyes tightly, covering my ears with my hands. But still, the sound didn't stop.

Bobby led me over to the sofa, placing me down on it. I bent over, resting my forehead on my knees. And just then, as fast as the sound had come, it stopped.

"What happened?"

I glanced up, slowly moving my hands away from my ears as I looked around the room, my heart pounding in my chest. "I have no idea. There was...ringing in my ears. It was so loud."

I tried to stand to my feet, but Bobby gently pushed me back down, shaking his head. "No, stay here."

"I have to finish the chili-"

"Vic, no."

"Bobby, I'm fine. I just- I need something to do, okay?" I said, standing up. "If anything happens, I'll let you know. Okay?"

"...alright."

With a heavy sigh, I made my way back over to the counter, continuing to stir the sauce in the pot when the phone rang. Bobby answered it, his brow furrowed as he stared down at the table.

"Yeah? Who's _me_?" Bobby's expression filled with disgust as the person spoke on the other end and without warning, he slammed the phone down.

"What was that about?" I asked, turning to face him.

"Uh, nothing." Bobby muttered, looking uncomfortable. "How's the cooking going."

"Fine."

"So, you uh- you have any dreams last night?"

"Kind of. I wouldn't really call it a _dream_. I didn't see anything. All I heard was a voice."

"What did the voice say?"

I took in a deep breath, trying to control my emotions. "It's just my mind playing tricks on me."

"What did it say?" Bobby repeated.

"It said- it said... _De-_ "

Before I could finish, the phone rang again, the shrill sound piercing through the room, causing me to jump slightly as Bobby picked it up.

"Who is this?" He asked sharply, waiting for the person to answer. "This ain't funny. Call again, I'll kill you."

"My god, Bobby." I muttered as he hung up the phone. "Who _was_ that?"

"Just some nobody who thinks they're funny. What did you say the voice said?"

"Doesn't matter. There was no _voice._ It was all in my head."

"Like all those other dreams?" Bobby asked cautiously. I knew he didn't want to hurt me, but I could tell he felt the need to get his point across. "Vic, you remember what Pamela said. You gotta trust yourself more. The stuff that happens to you ain't no coincidence."

" _Dean Winchester is saved._ " I mumbled, biting my lip as Bobby's eyes widened.

"What?"

"That's what I voice said. _Dean Winchester is saved_. It was so loud, it woke me up." I shook my head, going back to stirring as the tears welled up in my eyes. "But what does that even mean? Dean's alive? Out of hell? I just- we've tried everything, Bobby. That's why I don't believe it. It's not possible."

A long silence fell over us after that. I'm sure Bobby had no idea what to say. He probably didn't want to straight up tell me I was crazy, for fear of me breaking down.

But it was okay. I knew I was.

* * *

Hours passed and I was finally done cooking. Bobby made me take a bowl of chili, even though I knew I wasn't going to eat. Every so often, Bobby peered over at me from his bowl, watching me closely, probably waiting for me to eat as I stared blankly at the TV.

I wasn't even sure what was on, I was just using it as something to look at.

"You ever gonna eat?"

"No. I'm good, thanks." I mumbled, leaning my head back on the couch.

"Vic-"

"Bobby, I'm just not hungry right now."

"You're fading away to nothing."

I sighed. "I'm fine, Bobby."

"Come on, eat something."

"Bobby-"

"Do it for me?"

"Fine." I huffed, shoving a spoonful of chili into my mouth, feeling my stomach churn as soon as I did so.

I quickly chewed up the food, swallowing it as I glanced over at Bobby before standing to my feet, deciding I'd get starting on washing some clothes. I'd barely gotten halfway up the stairs when I heard a loud knock on the door.

"Who the hell is that?"

"I don't know. You go ahead upstairs, I'll check it out." Bobby said.

"Be careful." I called, heading upstairs.

* * *

 **BPOV**

After Vic left, I moved cautiously to the door, double-checking my pockets to make sure I had anything I'd need no matter what was out there. I opened the door to see Dean standing there, breathing heavily as he smiled down at me.

"Surprise."

"I- I don't-"

"Yeah, me neither." He shrugged, stepping inside. "But here I am."

The moment his foot hit the floor, I thought back to Victoria. It'd kill her to see this and then have it ripped out from under her all over again. And I didn't believe for a second that this was really Dean.

I quickly pulled out my silver knife, pushing him back outside as I slashed at him. He grabbed my arm, trying to twist it, but I got out of his grip and backhanded him across the face.

"Bobby! It's me!"

"My ass!" I exclaimed quietly.

"Whoa, wait!" He yelled, holding his hands out. "Your name is Robert Steven Singer. You became a hunter after your wife got possessed. Tori's like a daughter to you and one of the most important things in your life, though you'd never really say it, but you don't have to because everybody knows. And...you're about the closest thing _I_ have to a father. Bobby. It's me."

With a sigh, I lowered the knife, taking a step forward to place a hand on his shoulder.

I still didn't trust him, but he didn't have to know that.

When he wasn't expecting it, I slashed at him again, but he moved quickly grabbing the knife from me. "I am not a shapeshifter!"

"Then you're a Revenant!" I yelled now they we were outside. He shoved me back a bit, holding the knife to his own arm.

"Alright. If I was either, could I do this with a silver knife?" He asked, running the knife across his arm, grimacing as the blood trickled out.

I couldn't believe my eyes as I watched, looking up at him nervously. "Dean?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you."

I pulled him in, hugging him tightly. "It's- it's good to see you, boy."

"Yeah, you too." Dean murmured as we pulled apart.

"But how did you bust out?"

"I don't know. I just- I just woke up in a pine box-" He started. I pulled the flask of holy water out of my pocket, quickly splashing some on Dean's face. He flinched back, spitting some of the water out. "I'm not a demon either, you know."

"Sorry. Can't be too careful." I shrugged.

"Yeah, alright."

"That don't make a lick of sense."

"Yeah, you're preaching to the choir."

"Dean, your chest was ribbons, your insides were slop. And you've been buried _four months_. Even if you could slip out of hell and back into your meat suit-"

"I know, I should look like a _Thriller_ video reject."

"What do you remember?"

"Not much. I remember I was a hellhound's chew toy, and then... lights out. Then I come to six feet under, that was it." Dean paused, his eyes clouding over slightly. "I tried- I tried to call Tori. She didn't answer. She's- she's okay, right?"

"I'm not sure what you'd consider okay."

"What do you mean?"

"Things have been rough on her since you left. Really rough." I sighed. "But I think she'd be real happy to see you."

"Wait, she- is she here?" Dean asked, the excitement clear in his voice, his whole demeanor changing in that split second. I just nodded, making my way into the house with Dean right behind me, looking around at the stray bottles of whiskey scattered around. "Hey, Bobby? What's the deal with the liquor store? What, are your parents out of town or something?"

"Last few months ain't been all that easy." I mumbled, holding Dean's gaze for a moment.

"Right." He nodded, following me upstairs.

"Vic, you in here?" I called out, rounding the corner to the bedroom.

"Yeah." She replied, throwing a few pieces of clothing into a pile.

"Hey, turn around, I have something I want you to see."

"Bobby, I just want to get this done." She replied tiredly. I felt for her, the past few months have been hard. She's barely gotten any sleep, barely eaten anything. I don't think I'd ever seen her look so rundown.

"Vic, look." I called, as Dean stepped next to me, a big smile hiding the hurt in his eyes as he took in how unhealthy Victoria looked. I watched as she turned around, her eyes going wide when she saw Dean standing there, her mouth opening and closing a few times.

"Hey, Cherry Pie." Dean smiled, cautiously walking over to her. She looked back at me for confirmation, the question clear in her eyes.

"It's him." I nodded.

* * *

 **TPOV**

I stared up at Dean in shock as he stepped in front of me, my thoughts racing a mile a minute. There was no way this way real. No way at all. I had to be dreaming.

"Why is this happening?" I asked, the tears forming my eyes.

"What?" Dean asked, furrowing his brow.

"No...why?" I mumbled, letting the tears stream down my face. "God, this is so real."

"It is real. I'm real." Dean said, taking my hands in his.

"It can't be. I- I have to be dreaming."

"Why?"

"Because there's no way." I closed my eyes tightly, lowering my head.

"Tori, I'm really here." Dean said, lifting my chin up so I could look in his eyes as bent down to place a kiss on my lips.

In that second, the ringing in my ears was pushed to the background as I finally realized...this _was_ real. Dean was really here. He was alive.

Without thinking, I jumped into his arms, deepening the kiss as he hugged me to him, smiles on both of our faces. Dean held onto me tightly as I wrapped my legs around his hips, clutching him to me, the tears flowing down my cheeks.

Over Dean's shoulder, I could see Bobby watching us, a warm smile on his face as shut the door, walking back downstairs, leaving us alone.

"How- how?" I asked, cradling his face in my hands. "How are you back?"

"I don't know." Dean shrugged, placing me down on my feet. "Just am."

"Oh, my god." I cried, kissing him again. I took his hands in mine, gently guiding him over to the bed. I sat down in front of him as he looked down at me, a small smile on his face.

"I think- I mean, maybe I should, you know, shower first."

"I don't care." I said, starting to undo his belt.

"I just crawled out of a hole in the ground."

"That's okay." I smiled, running a hand over the bulge in his pants.

"Well, I'm not sure I can argue with that." Dean grinned.

"Good." I smiled, pulling his pants down, running my hand over his length, squeezing him lightly. He moaned in response, watching me with baited breath as I took him into my mouth.

"Shit." He murmured, licking his lips as he watched me. "You have no idea how good that feels, baby."

"Yeah?" I purred, looking up at him through my eyelashes.

I just wanted to make him feel good. Something other than pain.

"Oh, yeah."

A few moments later, I could tell Dean was getting close to his breaking point as he started breathing heavier. Eventually he cradled my face in his hands, guiding me up to his lips. I kissed him passionately as he pulled my shirt off, throwing it on the ground next to his jeans. Dean trailed kisses down my neck, moving down to my chest as I ran my hands through his hair.

Dean laid me back onto the bed, unbuttoning my pants before sliding them off, putting them with the pile the clothes before placing kisses along my stomach, pausing when he saw the deep scars on my hip, glancing up at me with sad eyes.

"I'm okay." I murmured, running a my fingers through his hair. Dean placed a few kisses on the scars, moving until he got to my chest.

I moaned at the feeling of his skin on mine, of his lips and tongue touching me. I gently brought Dean's face back to mind, kissing his lips as I pulled his shirt off, running my hands over his arms.

Suddenly, the ringing in my ears sprang back to the forefront as I opened my eyes, looking over to see a large hand-print scarred into the skin on his upper left arm.

"What- what is this?" I asked, noticing how the ringing quieted down when I took my hand off. What the hell did that to him?

"I don't know. It was there when I got topside."

"Does it- does it hurt?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded, shooting me a small smile. "Where were we?"

Before I knew it, we were both completely stripped of whatever clothes that were left, the feeling of our skin touching again almost too much for me to handle. I practically let out a moan from the sensation of his body against mine, realizing in this moment just how much I needed him.

"I need you, baby." I murmured. Dean nodded in response, both of us moaning loudly as he pushed himself inside of me.

"Jesus." Dean exclaimed quietly. "You feel so fucking good."

"God, I missed you." I sighed in pleasure.

The feeling of having him there was amazing. Better than I could ever even explain. He leaned down, kissing my neck as he slowly started pumping in and out. I bit my lip, running my hands down his back as he moved inside of me. Dean kissed along my jaw, moving over to my lips. I kissed him, running my fingers through his hair.

It almost felt too soon to be happening, but the release started building up in me.

Without me having to say a word, Dean already knew what to do, moving faster as I panted, moaning against his lips as that rubber band snapped inside of me. Dean wasn't far behind, joining me in ecstasy soon after, moaning as he kissed my collarbone. A few moments later, he was about to move out of me, when I put my hands on his shoulders, holding him against me.

"Just a minute." I breathed out, kissing his arm. I didn't want to lose this feeling.

I closed my eyes, letting my head lull to the side as Dean rested his head on my shoulder, breathing heavily on top of me. Eventually, I felt him slip out of me as he looked up with a small smile, placing a gentle kiss on my lips before laying next to me. I turned over on my side, resting my chin on his chest as he ran a few fingers through my hair.

"I can't believe this." I murmured.

"Me either."

"I'm sorry I look like shit."

"No you don't. You're beautiful."

"I love you." I said, tears forming my eyes. I never thought I'd get to tell him that again.

"...I love you, too." Dean smiled, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.

There were so many questions that I wanted to ask, but I could bring myself to do so. I didn't want to ruin this moment.

* * *

Surprisingly, I had drifted off to sleep, I hadn't had one nightmare. I'd woken up a little while later, seeing the beginnings of the sunrise shining through the sheer curtains on the window. The good feeling fluttering around in my chest left abruptly as looked around the bed, seeing that Dean wasn't there.

Was all of that just a dream? No...it couldn't have been.

I started breathing heavily as I sat upright, tears springing to my eyes as everything came crashing down around me. Was I starting to blur the lines between fiction and reality now? Could I not tell the difference anymore?

The door creaked open slightly, but I barely paid any attention, staring blankly at the sheets around me.

"Morning, Cherry Pie." Dean called, scaring the shit out of me.

"Oh god." I muttered, holding my chest as my heart beat erratically.

"Did I scare you?" Dean asked, sitting in front of me with a smile.

"A little."

"Sorry."

"Are you- is this real?"

"What? Of course. Tor, what's wrong?" Dean asked, his eyes full of concern.

"I just- I don't know, I thought- when I woke up and you weren't here, I thought that maybe everything that happened was...a dream or something."

"This isn't a dream" Dean murmured, cradling my face in his hands. "I just went to take a shower."

"Yeah. Right." I nodded, noticing that he was in different clothes. Dean placed a gentle kiss on my lips, silently letting me know that this was, in fact, very real. It was then that I remembered his things sitting in the drawer. "Oh."

"What?"

"Here." I said, reaching over into the nightstand drawer, pulling out Dean's ring and bracelets, giving them back.

"You kept my stuff."

"Of course I did."

"I guess this would be a bad time to ask after what happened, but uh, you- you...uh..." Dean trailed off, struggling to find the words.

"What?"

"You know, anything happen...with anyone?"

"Are you asking me if I've been dating or something?"

"I'd understand-"

"What did I tell you?" I asked, a slight feeling of anger rushing through me. "There is no one else for me. There never could be. Don't you fucking think that."

"Alright, alright." Dean mumbled, holding his hands up at my sudden outburst.

"I'm sorry, I just don't like hearing you say that that."

"I know. I- I shouldn't have."

"You're it for me. How can I prove that to you?"

"You don't..." Dean sighed, shaking his head. "I just get stupid sometimes. You don't have to prove anything."

"Good."

"We didn't get to talk much last night. How have- how have you been?"

"Okay." I lied.

"Tori."

"What?"

"Tell me the truth. I mean, when was the last time you ate something?"

"Dean, things have been hard without you. I wasn't really in the mood to stuff my face and skip through a meadow."

"...I just want you to be healthy."

"I know. I'll be okay." I nodded. "Can I ask _you_ something now?"

"Yeah."

"What do you remember?"

"From when?"

"You know when, Dean."

"The, uh- the hellhounds...then- then, uh, nothing." Dean cleared his throat, his eyes telling a completely different story. I noticed the usual spark in them gone, the green drained lightly as his eyes clouded over.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "Have you talked to Sam? I tried to call him, but his number wasn't working. He's not- I mean-"

"He's alive. As far as we know."

"Wait, what do you mean, _as far as we know_?"

"I haven't talked to him in a couple months."

"What? Why?"

"A lot has happened since you've been gone, Dean. You don't know the half of it. Like I said, things have been really hard. We had to- we had to bury you. Something I thought would never happen."

"Why did you bury me, anyway?"

"Bobby wanted to, you know...do the usual. But I couldn't- I couldn't do that. Sam agreed with me, so we didn't."

"Well, I'm glad you guys won that one."

I nodded. "I just- I figured you'd need it when you got out."

"What?" Dean asked, something about what I'd said making him look at me suspiciously. "Tori, what did you do?"

"What are you talking about?"

"No...you didn't."

"Didn't what?"

"I can't believe I didn't think- why would you do that?"

"Do what?"

"What did you do? Sell your soul? What?" Dean asked, getting upset.

"No!" I exclaimed, shaking my head.

"Then how did I come back?"

"I'm just as confused as you are."

"Then it- Sam had to have done something..." Dean said, standing up.

I followed him, pulling on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt as we made our way downstairs where Bobby was sitting on the couch. "Mornin-"

"Dean, wait." I called as he went over to the phone. "That's not possible."

"What's going on?" Bobby asked.

"Why not?" Dean asked me. "Because something got me out. And whatever it was, was bad mojo. You should have seen the grave site. It was like a nuke went off. And then there was this- this force, this presence. I don't know, but it- it blew past me at a fill-up joint."

"What are you talking about?"

"Sam made a deal. That's how I got out." Dean explained, lifting his sleeve to show Bobby the hand-print. "It makes sense now. It was like a demon just yanked me out. Or rode me out."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna try to find Sam." Dean replied, picking up the phone, dialing a number. "Yeah, hi, I have a cell phone account with you guys, and uh, I lost my phone. I was wondering if you could turn the GPS on for me. Yeah. Name's Wedge Antilles. Social is 2-4-7-4. Thank you."

"How'd you know he'd use that name?" Bobby asked.

"You kidding me?" Dean asked, booting up the laptop, typing something in. "What don't I know about that kid?" _A lot_. I thought to myself, leaning in the doorway. "Sam's in Pontiac, Illinois."

"Right near where you were planted."

"Right where I popped up. Hell of a coincidence, don't you think?"

"I'd say so."

"Alright, let's go." Dean said, heading outside with Bobby and I right behind him.

I pulled the keys out of my jacket, holding them up. "I'm assuming you'll want to drive?"

"Oh, I almost forgot." Dean grinned, running a hand along the Impala lovingly. "Hey, sweetheart, did you miss me?"

"I think she did." I smiled, watching him.

"She looks good."

"She better." Bobby interjected."Vic's been out here nearly every day, keeping her clean."

Dean turned back around, pulling me to him. "You're the best."

"Yeah." I smiled, hearing Bobby grumble as Dean bent down to kiss me.

"Let's get going, huh?" Bobby asked, heading over to his car. Dean and I started at each other for a few seconds before smiling, getting into the Impala.

"What the hell is that?" Dean asked, pointing to the iPod stereo system Sam had put into the car a few months back.

"An iPod jack. Sam did it."

"Goddammit." Dean huffed, staring the car before driving off.

* * *

 **PONTIAC, ILLINOIS – NIGHT  
Astoria Motel **

As the three of us made our way to room number two-oh-seven, I felt that same uncomfortable feeling enter my stomach, standing beside Dean as he knocked on the door. A familiar looking pretty brunette opened the door in a tank top and underwear, staring up at us questioningly. She shot me a small grin as her eyes caught mine, knowing all too well that I knew who she was.

I had to calm myself down, knowing now wasn't the time to try and kill her.

I'd get there eventually.

"So where is it?" She asked, looking over to Dean and Bobby.

"Where's what?" Dean asked.

"The pizza...that takes three people to deliver?"

"I think we got the wrong room."

Just then, Sam stepped into view, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw Dean, his eyes flickering between Bobby and I.

"Hi Sammy." Dean smiled, stepping past the girl into the room. Sam watched cautiously as Dean walked up to him, not wasting any time to pull out a knife. The girl screamed as Bobby ran into the room, pulling Sam away from his brother.

As I tried to make my way over to Dean, Ruby grabbed my arm, shooting me a smile. "Long time, no see."

I shook my hand out of her grip, making my way over to Dean, who didn't see the interaction between us. I stood between the boys as Sam struggled against Bobby's grip. "Sam-"

"Who are you?!" Sam shouted at Dean, ignoring me.

"Like you didn't do this?!" Dean retorted.

"Do what?!"

"It's him." Bobby said. "I've been through this already, it's _really_ him."

"What…?"

"I know. I look fantastic, huh?" Dean asked as Bobby finally let go of Sam, allowing him to pull Dean into a hug, tears forming in his eyes.

"So are you two like...together?" Ruby asked, playing dumb as she looked over with her arms folded. I shot her a glare.

"What?" Sam asked, as if he just remembered she was even here. "No. He's my brother."

"Got it. I- I guess. Look, I should probably go."

"That's probably a really good idea." I snapped.

"Sorry." Sam mumbled as she grabbed her stuff, pulling on a pair of jeans before leaving the room.

"So, call me." She smiled at Sam from the door.

"Yeah, sure thing, Kathy."

"Kristy." She sighed, disappointed. I rolled my eyes at the stupid act, shaking my head.

"Right." Sam nodded, shutting the door after she left. As he turned back around, he locked eyes with me, shooting me a small smile. "How have you been?"

"Not as good as you, I guess." I mumbled. Sam looked down, not saying a word as Bobby and Dean watched our interaction with confusion.

"So tell me, what'd it cost?" Dean asked, looking up at his brother.

"The girl?" Sam grinned. "I don't pay, Dean."

"That's not funny, Sam. To bring me back. What'd it cost? Was it just your soul, or was it something worse?"

"You think I made a deal?" Sam asked, taken a-back.

Bobby nodded. "That's exactly what we think."

"Well, I didn't."

"Don't lie to me." Dean said, his eyes hard.

"I'm not lying."

"So what now, I'm off the hook and you're on, is that it?" Dean asked, advancing towards his brother. "You're some demon's bitch-boy? I didn't want to be saved like this."

"Look, Dean, I wish I had done it, alright?"

"There's no other way that this could have gone down. Now tell the truth!"

"Stop!" I exclaimed, standing in between the two. "Just stop it. Sam is telling the truth, Dean."

"What?" Dean asked, looking down at me in confusion. "You haven't talked to him in months, how do you know that?"

"Because. We tried everything to get you back. _Everything._ " I admitted, looking up at him. "We tried opening the devil's gate. That didn't work. No demon would make a deal with either of us. Nothing worked. We couldn't- we couldn't do anything."

"You tried to sell your soul, too?"

"Of course. I would've done anything."

"You were rotting in hell for months and we couldn't stop it." Sam muttered, his voice sad. "So I'm sorry, it wasn't me, alright?"

Dean looked between Sam and I for a moment, nodding as he took a small step back. "You don't have to apologize."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that Sam's soul remains intact, but it does raise a sticky question." Bobby interjected, an eyebrow raised.

"If he didn't pull me out, then what did?"

"Right."

"So what were you doing around here if you weren't digging me out of my grave?" Dean asked, looking over at Sam as he brought us each a beer.

"Well, once I figured out I couldn't save you, I started hunting down Lilith, trying to get some payback." Sam muttered, ignoring the glare I was shooting him.

"All by yourself." Bobby scoffed. "Who do you think you are, your old man?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm sorry. I should have called. I was pretty messed up."

"Oh, yeah. I really feel your pain." Dean mumbled, picking up a pink flowered bra off of the floor, tossing it a few feet away.

"Anyways-" Sam cleared his throat. "I was checking these demons out of Tennessee, and out of nowhere they took a hard left, booked up here."

"When?"

"Yesterday."

"When I busted out."

"Do you think these demons are here because of you?" I asked. "Why?"

"Well, I don't know. Some badass demon drags me out and now this?" Dean shrugged. "It's gotta be connected somehow."

"How you feeling, anyway?" Bobby asked.

"I'm a little hungry."

"No, I mean, do you feel like yourself? Anything strange, or different?"

"Or demonic? Bobby, how many times do I have to prove I'm me? Tori would know if something was wrong." Dean said, glancing over at me. "There's nothing, right?"

"Well-" I started, pulling in a deep breath. "Nothing demonic."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bobby asked, looking at me curiously.

"I don't know. There's something...weird."

"Weird how?" Dean asked.

"I don't know!" I repeated, shrugging.

"Pamela might know something." Bobby suggested.

"Maybe."

"Who's Pamela?" Dean asked.

"A psychic." I replied.

"It's worth a shot."

"I'll be right back." Bobby announced, leaving the room.

"Hey, you probably want this back." Sam called, pulling out Dean's amulet, handing it to him.

"Thanks." Dean smiled, putting the necklace on.

"Yeah, don't mention it." Sam nodded. "Hey Dean, what was it like?"

"What, hell? I don't know. I- I must have blacked it out. I don't remember a damn thing."

"Well, thank god for that."

"Yeah." Dean nodded, looking to the ground before heading into the bathroom, leaving Sam and I staring after him.

"Tori?" Sam called, glancing over at me with worried eyes.

"What?" I asked.

"Are you okay?"

"Why?"

"You're just- you look-"

"Not good?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm not. Not only did I have to deal with the fact I lost Dean, I lost my little brother, too, Sam." I said, looking up at him with sad eyes. "I just stopped hearing from you. I thought something happened."

"I'm sorry."

"Well, it's over now. Dean is back, that's what matters."

"Yeah."

"Are you screwing Ruby?" I asked suddenly, catching him off-guard.

"W- what?"

"Your stupid little act didn't work for me, I remember the woman she possessed. Why the fuck else would she be in her underwear?"

"Tori-"

"You're fucking a demon?" I asked, keeping my voice quiet even though I wanted to shout at him.

"There's more to it than that-"

"So you are."

"Tori, just-"

"Jesus, Sam. What the fuck?"

"I can explain."

"I don't want to know."

"Don't tell Dean."

"Oh, what a conversation that would be. Hey, Dean, while I was trying desperately to get you out of hell, your little brother was giving it to a demon!"

"Alright!" Sam exclaimed, clearly getting upset with me. "Just don't fucking tell him okay? I will when the time is right."

"Fine." I huffed.

"Do we- do we have to fight right now?"

"No."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah." I nodded. Just then, Dean came back out of the bathroom, a haunted look in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yup. Ready?"

I stayed by Dean's side as we made our way out of the motel, finding Bobby standing outside near his car. "She's about four hours down the Interstate. Try to keep up."

"Okay." Dean nodded, watching Bobby get into his car.

The three of us got into the Impala, the scene all too familiar. It was strange how much I really did miss this. Something so simple.

"And this-" Dean started, pointing to the iPod jack. "What the fuck is that?"

"An iPod-"

"I know what it is. I mean, why is it in here? You were supposed to take care of her, not douche her up."

Not too long later, we were driving down a long, dark road, like always, heading to Pamela's house. I felt a little nervous, not quite sure to how handle this. The last time I'd seen her, I was practically a mess, visions of Dean torturing and being tortured floating around my brain. I shut my eyes tightly, trying to get the images out of my head.

"There's still one thing that's bothering me." Dean muttered, breaking the silence.

"What?" I asked.

"The night that I bit it. Or... got bit." Dean chuckled, glancing back at me to see that I wasn't all that impressed with his joke. "How'd you make it out? I thought Lilith was going to kill you."

"Well, she tried. She couldn't." Sam answered.

"What do you mean, _she couldn't_?"

"She fired this, like, burning light at us, and, I don't know, I just didn't work. I don't know who was more surprised, her or us. She left pretty fast after that."

"What about Ruby, where is she?"

"Dead. For now." Sam muttered, shooting a look back at me in the rear-view mirror. I folded my arms, looking out the window.

"So you've been using your, uh, freaky ESP stuff?"

"No." Sam lied. I literally bit my tongue, keeping my eyes glued to the passing trees, trying my hardest to not say anything.

"You sure about that?" Dean asked, watching Sam shrug. "Just wondering what other kind of weirdo shit you've got going on."

"Nothing, Dean. Look, you didn't want me to go down that road, so I didn't go down that road. It was practically your dying wish."

"Yeah, well, let's keep it that way."

* * *

 **PAMELA'S HOUSE – DAY**

Even though I was nervous, I was happy to see Pamela again. She had become a friend over the past month, calling every-so often to check up on me, making sure I was still somewhat sane. I couldn't thank her enough, because I really think she helped me through a lot.

Pamela answered the door, shooting me a smile. "Well, well, well. You're doing better."

"Yeah." I nodded as she pulled me into a hug, lifting me off the ground. I laughed awkwardly as she pulled away slightly, keeping her hands on the tops of my arms.

"So, these the boys?" She asked, shooting Dean and Sam a lustful smile. "Dean Winchester. Out of the fire and back in the frying pan, huh? Makes you a rare individual."

"If you say so." Dean shrugged.

"Come on in." Pamela smiled, moving aside for us to head in. Once the boys had gotten inside a ways, she held me back slightly, looking down into my eyes. "The nightmares, they're gone, aren't they?"

"Yeah." I nodded.

"Then I was right. They were real visions."

"I think so." I mumbled, wrapping my arms around myself.

"Amazing."

"Not really."

"Well, no." She grinned, rubbing my arm gently. "Does Dean know?"

"Do I know what?" Dean asked, walking over.

"Nothing." I mumbled.

"Tori."

"He should know." Pamela interjected.

"Really?" I snapped, looking up at her. "This is not your place."

"Oh, really? Who helped you?"

"Helped you with what?" Dean asked. "What is she talking about?"

"I had- I just had some pretty bad nightmares over the past few months." I replied, not meeting his eyes. "She helped me figure some stuff out."

"Nightmares about what?"

"Can we talk about this later?"

"But-"

"Please?" I asked desperately.

"Yeah, okay." Dean nodded, pulling me to his side.

"So, you hear anything?" Bobby asked Pamela after a moment of silenced filled the room.

"Well, I Ouija'd my way through a dozen spirits. No one seems to know who broke your boy out, or why." Pamela shrugged.

"So what's next?"

"A séance, I think. See if we can see who did the deed."

"You're not gonna...summon the damn thing here."

"No. I just want to get a sneak peek at it. Like a crystal ball without the crystal."

"I'm game." Dean nodded.

* * *

Pamela spread a large black cloth covered in various symbols over the small, round table we sat around, smoothing it out before squatting in front of a cabinet to get something, her shirt sliding up to reveal a tattoo that read _Jesse Forever._

"Who's Jesse?" Dean asked with a grin.

"Well, it wasn't forever." Pamela laughed, looking over at Sam with a smirk. "His loss...might be your gain."

Sam stared up at her with wide eyes, his mouth popping open slightly. Dean laughed at his brother's expression, shaking his head. "She's gonna eat you alive."

"Uh-"

"You're invited, too." Pamela smiled at Dean, shooting me a playful wink. I knew she didn't mean any harm by this, it was just her personality.

"You are _not_ invited." I said, shooting Dean a look. Pamela sat at one end of the table, Dean on one side of her and Bobby on the other with me between the boys.

"Right. Take each other's hands. And I need to touch something our mystery monster touched."

Dean glanced around nervously, pulling up his sleeve to reveal the hand print. Sam's eyes widened in shock as he took in the mark, glancing over at me. I let out a heavy breath, looking back over to Pamela, who laid her hand on it.

"Okay." She sighed, all of us shutting out eyes. "I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle. I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle. I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle." Just then, the TV turned to static, blaring through he room. Pamela ignored it, continuing. "I invoke, conjure, and command...Castiel? No. Sorry, Castiel, I don't scare easy."

"Castiel?" I asked, my brow furrowed as the ringing in my ears grew louder as the table started shaking violently underneath us.

"It's name. It's whispering to me, warning me to turn back. I conjure and command you, show me your face."

"I think we should stop." I muttered, a strange feeling washing through my chest, the sense of a strong presence overwhelming me.

"I almost got it." Pamela muttered. "I command you, show me your face!"

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"It's fine. Show me your face now!" She shouted.

Suddenly, Pamela began screaming, collapsing to the floor as the candles died out around us. Bobby caught her, lowering her to the ground. "Call 911!"

Sam scrambled out his his chair, rushing into the next room to call an ambulance as I sat there, my whole body practically shaking.

"I can't see! I can't see!" Pamela cried. I glanced over, seeing her eye sockets completely black ad burned out.

* * *

 **DINER – DAY**

Bobby had ridden to the hospital with Pamela, leaving the three of us to our own devices as we waited on an update. I could only hope that Pamela would be okay. Whatever that thing was back there, it wasn't fooling around. That whole thing freaked me out, and I couldn't seem to focus on much else.

"So you felt it?" Dean asked, breaking me out of my trance.

"Whatever it was, yeah. It was strong." I muttered, my voice shaking. "And scary."

"But you said it was different from your demon sense?"

"Very. I can't explain it."

"You bet." Sam spoke into his phone, making his way back over to the booth, sitting across from Dean and I. "Pam's stable. And out of I.C.U."

"And blind because of us."

"And we still have no clue who we're dealing with."

"That's not entirely true." Dean interjected.

"No?" Sam asked.

"We got a name. Castiel, or whatever. With the right mumbo-jumbo we could summon him, bring him right to us."

"Absolutely not." I said, shaking my head.

"We'll work him over. I mean, after what he did?"

"Pam took a peek at him and her eyes burned out of her skull, and you want to have a face to face?" Sam asked incredulously.

"You got a better idea?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I do. I followed some demons to town, right?"

"Okay."

"So, we go find them. Someone's gotta know something about something."

The waitress came back over with a few plates of pie, setting them on the table before putting a chair up in front of the table, plopping down on it.

"You angling for a tip?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry. Thought you were looking for us." She said, her eyes going pitch black. I looked around the diner, seeing a few other people with black eyes scattered around. "Dean. To hell and back. Aren't you a lucky duck."

"That's me."

"So you get to just stroll out of the pit, huh? Tell me. What makes you so special?"

"I like to think it's because of my perky nipples." Dean quipped. "I don't know. Wasn't my doing, I don't know who pulled me out."

"Right." She scoffed, glancing over to me. "Like you don't."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You know."

"No, I don't."

"Lying is a sin."

"She's not lying." Dean interjected. "But we'd like to find out who did it, too. So if you wouldn't mind enlightening me, Flo..."

"Mind your tone with me, boy. I'll drag you back to hell myself." She spat. I felt myself tense up when Dean place a hand on my knee, stopping me.

"No, you won't."

"No?"

"No. Because if you were you would have done it already. Fact is, you don't know who cut me loose. And you're just as spooked as we are. And you're looking for answers. Well, maybe it was some turbo-charged spirit. Or, uh, Godzilla. Or some big bad boss demon. I'm guessing at your pay grade that they don't tell you squat. Because whoever it was, they want me out. And they're a lot stronger than you."

"I'm going to reach down your throat and rip out your lungs."

"So do it." Dean challenged, leaning towards her. A few moments of silenced passed as the demon stared at him, a scared look in her eyes. "That's what I thought." Dean stood as the demon sat there, fuming at us. He pulled out a ten dollar bill, dropping it on the table. "For the pie."

* * *

We rushed out of the diner, quickly making our way over to the Impala. I felt my legs shake as I moved, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Holy shit, that was close." Dean sighed.

'We're not just going to leave them in there, are we, Dean?" Sam asked.

"Well yeah, there's three of them, probably more, and we've only got one knife between us."

"I've been killing a lot more demons than that lately."

"Not anymore. The smarter brother's back in town."

"Dean, we've got to take them. They are dangerous." Sam said, looking to me. "We can't leave them in there."

"They're scared." I muttered. "Scared of whatever pulled Dean out. We can't take the chance on killing them right now."

"One job at a time." Dean finished, getting into the Impala.

* * *

 **MOTEL – NIGHT**

Once we'd gotten back to the motel, Dean had started flipping through an old summoning book, leaning on the couch next to me. Not too long after, he'd fallen asleep, his head resting in my lap. I stared down at him, running a hand through his hair. Sam came into the room then, grabbing the keys off the table.

"Where are you going?" I asked quietly.

"Nowhere."

"Hey, Sam." I called, watching as he turned around, his hand on the doorknob. "Whatever you're doing, be careful."

"Yeah." Sam nodded, leaving the room.

As the door slammed, Dean woke with a start, his eyes wide as he breathed heavily. I let out an annoyed huff at Sam's carelessness, smiling down at Dean. "Hey."

"How long was I out for?" Dean asked, sitting upright.

"Not long. Maybe a half hour."

"Where's Sam?"

"I don't know. He went to get a burger or something."

"In my car?" Dean asked, noticing the keys were gone.

"Yeah."

"Whatever." He sighed, leaning back on the couch. "So, it's later."

"Yeah? And?"

"You said you'd tell me about the nightmares."

I let out a sigh, figuring this was something I couldn't keep from him much longer. "Right."

"So?"

"You said you don't remember anything from- from hell, right?"

"No." Dean answered quickly, shaking his head.

"Well after you were gone I started- I started having these horrible nightmares. Of you...being...tortured in terrible ways. And it was like- it was like I was there. But I couldn't help you." I muttered, tears forming in my eyes. I glanced up to Dean, seeing a shocked look on his face. "It was- I can't even explain how bad it was. I thought that it was just my mind playing tricks on me, but Bobby got Pamela to come see me. She thought that maybe since you and I had such a strong connection that we- we were soul mates. In the most literal sense of the term. And that I- then I could see what was happening to...your soul."

"That's- I mean, that's...crazy." Dean mumbled. "Soul mates, huh?"

"Yeah." I nodded.

"Wow."

"Tell me about it. But then, the nightmares, they just kind of stopped." I said, avoiding the part where I saw him torturing people.

"When?"

"When you got out."

"Huh."

"You can tell me…if you remember." I said cautiously.

Dean looked away, tears forming in his eyes. "Yeah."

"Yeah, you know you can tell me, or yeah you remember?"

"Yeah, I-"

Suddenly, the loud ringing started up again, filling my ears. I cried out in pain, covering my ears, noticing Dean doing the same. Just then, the windows started shattering around us, along with the mirror on the ceiling, sending shards of glass flying everywhere. Dean pulled me under him, trying to shield me from the glass.

"Kids!" Bobby shouted, rushing into the room. He quickly helped us to our feet, the three of us running outside to his car where the ringing finally stopped.

* * *

Once we had gotten a good distance away from the motel, the ringing had quieted down quite a bit, finally allowing me to feel somewhat sane again. In the backseat of the car, I pulled a washcloth out of one of the bags in the backseat, wiping the blood from Dean's face, picking out a few pieces of glass as I went.

"You shouldn't have done that."

"What? Protected you?" Dean asked incredulously. "Ow."

"Sorry." I murmured, gently patting a small cut. "You got the worst of it."

"Well, you didn't get hurt. That's what matters to me."

"How you two doing?" Bobby asked.

"Aside from the church bells ringing in my head, peachy."

"So you heard them?" I asked.

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "I heard them the day I got pulled out, too."

"Have these been the only times?"

"Yeah. Why? Have you heard them before?"

I glanced over at Bobby, seeing him shoot me a pointed look as I turned back to Dean. "Actually, I've been hearing them for a while."

"What?" Dean asked, his eyes going wide.

"Not that loud, but they've been there."

"What the hell does that even mean?"

"I have no idea." I shrugged as Dean picked up his ringing phone.

" _What are you doing up?_ " I heard Sam ask.

"Well, uh, Bobby's back. The three of us are going to grab a beer." Dean lied. Bobby shot him a surprised look, to which Dean just shook his head.

" _Alright, well, uh, spill some for me, huh?_ "

"Done. Catch you later."

"Why the hell didn't you tell him?" Bobby asked as Dean hung up.

"Because he just tried to stop us."

"From what?" I asked.

"Summoning this thing." Dean replied simply.

"What? Dean, no-"

"It's time we faced it head-on."

"You can't be serious!" Bobby exclaimed.

"As a heart attack. It's high noon, baby."

"Well, we don't know what it is. It could be a demon, it could be anything."

"That's why we've got to be ready for anything." Dean said, holding up Ruby's knife. "We've got the big-time magic knife, you've got an arsenal in the trunk..."

"This is a bad idea." I sighed.

"Yeah, I couldn't agree more, but what other choice do we have?"

"We could choose life." Bobby muttered.

"And keeping our eyes." I added.

"Whatever this is, whatever it wants, it's after me. That much we know, right? I've got no place to hide. I can either get caught with my pants down again, or we can make our stand."

* * *

 **WAREHOUSE – NIGHT**

Bobby was finishing up drawing the last of many symbols on the floor, walls and ceiling, throwing the empty can of spray paint over into a pile of others.

"That's a hell of an art project you've got going there." Dean commented.

"Traps and talismans from every faith on the globe. How you doing?" Bobby asked.

"Stakes, iron, silver, salt, knife. I mean, we're pretty much set to catch and kill anything I've ever heard of."

"This is still a bad idea." I mumbled, feeling uncomfortable.

"Yeah, Tor, I heard you the first ten times." Dean said, shooting me a small smile before looking back to Bobby. "What do you say we ring the dinner bell?"

Bobby nodded reluctantly, shooting me a nervous glance before going over to a desk, placing a pinch of powder into a bowl, chanting in Latin as it started to smoke. I was waiting for any kind of feeling to wash over me, but minutes passed and absolutely nothing happened.

"You sure you did the ritual right?" Dean asked, glancing over to Bobby, who shot him a sour look. "Sorry. Touchy, touchy, huh?"

Suddenly, a loud rattling sounded through the building, the roof shaking above us. My ears started ringing loudly as I felt that same strange feeling wash over me. Dean shoved a shotgun into my hands and he and Bobby grabbed theirs, pointing it at the door of the warehouse.

"Wishful thinking, but maybe it's just the wind." Dean shrugged.

Just then, the doors burst open to reveal a familiar looking dark-haired man in a business suit and trenchcoat stalking inside, his eyes on me. The light bulbs above us shattered as he passed underneath them. I heard gunshots go off as Dean and Bobby both opened fire, but I couldn't make my shaking hands do anything with the gun other than hold it.

The man didn't stop advancing as the bullets went through him and Dean dropped his gun, keeping his hand on Ruby's knife. "Who are you?"

"I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition." He replied in a low voice.

"Yeah. Thanks for that." Dean said, rearing back to plunge the knife into the man's chest.

He glanced down at it, pulling it out and dropping it to the floor without any concern. Bobby attacked from behind, and without looking the man grabbed his weapon, touching his forehead with his fingertips, sending Bobby falling unconscious to the ground.

"Bobby!" I cried.

"Your friend is still alive."

"Who are you?" Dean repeated, keeping me behind him, separated from the man.

"Castiel."

"Yeah, I figured that much. I mean, _what_ are you?"

"Why don't you ask Victoria? She knows what I am."

"What?" Dean asked, glancing over at me before looking back to Castiel. "She doesn't know. Stop bullshitting and tell me."

"You know who I am." Castiel said, staring over at me.

A feeling of familiarity crossed over me as I looked into his ice blue eyes. A strange feeling building in my chest as I watched him, some kind of fear taking over me as the realization settled into my mind. It was almost as if I saw the faint outline of the huge wings behind him, shadowing us.

"You're- you're...an angel." I mumbled, my voice barely above a whisper.

"What? You're kidding, right?" Dean asked me, looking back to Castiel. "What did you do to her?"

"Nothing." He replied. "She knows. I am an Angel of the Lord."

"Get the hell out of here. There's no such thing."

"This is your problem, Dean. You have no faith." Castiel said as a strike of lightning flashed, lighting the room as the shadow of his huge wings appeared fully before us.

Dean stared at him with wide eyes for a moment, before shaking his head, letting out a scoff. "Some angel you are. You burned out that poor woman's eyes."

"I warned her not to spy on my true form. It can be...overwhelming to humans, and so can my real voice. But you already knew that."

"You mean the gas station and the motel. That was you talking?" Dean asked, to which Castiel just nodded. "Buddy, next time, lower the volume."

"That was my mistake. Certain people, _special_ people, can perceive my true visage. I thought you would be one of them. I was wrong."

"And what visage are you in now, huh? What, holy tax accountant?"

"This? This is... a vessel." He said, looking over to me. "You spoke to him."

"And you're possessing that poor guy?" I asked, suddenly finding my voice.

"He's a devout man, he actually prayed for this."

"Why?"

"Because he was chosen. Finding a human vessel durable enough to contain me is not easy."

"I have the same problem with women." Dean mumbled. I glanced over at him, my mouth popping open as Castiel just stared, clearly not amused. "Listen, I'm not buying what you're selling, so who are you really?"

"I told you."

"Right. And why would an angel rescue me from hell?"

"Good things do happen, Dean."

"Not in my experience."

"What's the matter? You don't think you deserve to be saved?" Castiel asked questioningly, cocking his head to the side.

"Why'd you do it?"

"Because God commanded it. Because we have work for you."

* * *

 **Yay! Cassie!** **You have no idea how glad I am that I'm finally writing this, I literally never thought I'd actually get to s4 :D**

 **I love getting reviews...so...you know...hook a girl up ;)**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading! I hope you liked it!**

 **Twitter: phoenixwrites79  
Instagram: phoenixwritesfanfiction**


	5. Are You There, God?

_Head underwater  
Don't think I have the strength tonight  
If they push me any further  
I will find the words to fight  
_' _Cause what they say about me  
Cuts deeper than the sharpest knife  
And in my head, a replay  
I'm looking at that red light_

 _I'll drown in the water  
If I listen to the sound  
Of cruel laughter  
I let the storms fall to the ground  
They don't know a thing about me  
And still the wolves are crying out_

 _And I hear you say  
I'll take you away_

 _So will you stand for something?  
And give them back the ammunition  
Or will you let them tell you who you are?  
My love is deeper than the stars  
And you are bigger than the scars  
That you feel at night  
When you're holding your pillow tight  
And you're wishing someone would call you home  
It's you and I, alone_

 _ **Flyleaf – Head Underwater**_

* * *

There was no possible way for me to get over the shock of what we'd encountered last night. I could barely even breathe when I thought about it. I knew of all the evil that existed in the world, hell, I'd even been in close contact with most of it, but I never in a million years thought I would meet...an angel.

Dean, however, was having just about as opposite of a reaction to this as there ever could be. He hadn't stopped coming up with other things that Castiel could be. He didn't care, he just wanted it to be anything other than an angel.

"Well, then tell me what else it could be." Sam argued. He and Dean haven't stopped talking about this since we all reunited at Bobby's.

"Look, all I know is I was not groped by an angel." Dean replied.

"Okay, look, Dean. Why do you think this Castiel would lie to you about it?"

"Maybe he's some kind of demon. Demons lie."

"A demon who's immune to salt rounds and devil's traps... and Ruby's knife? Dean, Lilith is scared of that thing!"

"Don't you think that if angels were real, that some hunter somewhere would have seen one at some point ever?"

"You just did, Dean."

"I'm trying to come up with a theory here. Okay? Work with me."

"Dean, we have a theory."

"Yeah, one with a little less fairy dust on it, please."

"Can you please just shut the fuck up?!" I shouted, rubbing my temples, the ringing that lingered giving me a migraine. "How much longer are you gonna bicker about this?"

"Listen, we don't know for sure, so I'm not gonna believe that this thing is a freaking _Angel of the Lord_ because it says so!" Dean exclaimed, looking over at me. "Or because it somehow made you think so, too."

"I don't know what you want me to say, Dean. There's no other theory I could come up with. If he was a demon, I would have known it. I didn't get that feeling from him...but I was- I don't know what the feeling was."

"You three want to keep arguing religion, or do you want to come take a look at this?" Bobby asked, nodding over to the books in front of him in the desk. "I got stacks of lore. Biblical, pre-biblical. Some of it's in damn cuneiform. It all says an angel can snatch a soul from the pit."

"What else?" Dean asked.

"What else, what?"

"What else could do it?"

"Airlift your ass out of the hot box? As far as I can tell, nothing."

"Dean, this is good news." Sam said.

"How?" Dean asked incredulously.

"Because for once, this isn't just another round of demon bullshit. I mean, maybe you were saved by one of the good guys, you know?"

"Okay. Say it's true. Say there are angels. Then what? There's a God?"

"I would imagine so, yeah." I nodded.

"I don't know, guys."

"Okay, look. I know you're not all choirboy about this stuff, but this is becoming less and less about faith and more and more about proof." Sam muttered.

" _Proof_?"

"Yes."

"Proof that there's a God out there that actually gives a shit about me personally? I'm sorry, but I'm not buying it."

"Why not?"

"Because why me? If there is a God out there, why would he give two shits about me?"

I shook my head. "Dean-"

"I mean, I've saved some people, okay? I figured that made up for the stealing and the ditching chicks. But why do I deserve to get saved? I'm just a regular guy."

"A regular guy that's pretty important to _God_."

"Well, that creeps me out. I mean, I don't like getting singled out at birthday parties, much less by...God."

"Well, too bad, Dean." Sam said. "Because I think he wants you to strap on your party hat."

"Fine. What do we know about angels?" Dean asked, looking over to Bobby and I.

Bobby picked up a huge pile of books from the floor, setting them down in front of us. "Start reading."

Dean picked up one of the dusty books, looking over to Sam. "You're gonna get me some pie."

Sam rolled his eyes, grabbing the keys and his jacket before heading outside. I picked up one of the other books, sitting down on the couch to start reading through it.

It wasn't long before the three of us were completely submersed in books upon books of research on angels. Though I had to be completely honest, I wasn't finding anything I didn't already know in here.

Over the past couple days, Bobby had been trying to call one of his friends a few times about all this angel stuff, but there was no answer, which worried him a lot.

"I'm sure she's okay." I said, watching as he hung up the phone again, grabbing his jacket as he got up.

"She doesn't do that."

"So are we gonna go check on her?" Dean asked.

"Damn right."

"Great." Dean nodded, throwing the book in his hands onto the coffee table, clearly happy to get a break from reading. I followed the two of them outside as Sam pulled up, his brow furrowed in question.

"Keep the engine running." Bobby called, heading over to his car as Sam stood out of the Impala.

"Why?" He asked. "What's going on?"

"I got a friend one state over – Olivia Lowry. I've been trying to reach her for three days on this angel thing. It's not like her to ignore this many calls."

"Olivia Lowry. She's a hunter, right?"

"Yeah. We're gonna go check on her. You guys follow me." Bobby said, sliding into the diver seat of his car.

"Scoot over." Dean told his brother, pushing him into the passenger seat as he got into the car. I slid into the back, watching as Dean went through the bag of food that had gotten. "Dude?"

"Yeah?"

"Where's the pie?"

"Oh." Sam mumbled, looking guilty. "Whoops."

"Dammit, Sam." Dean huffed, throwing the bag down. "Last time I ask you to do anything for me."

* * *

 **OLIVIA LOWRY'S HOUSE – DAY**

Bobby entered first, his gun out as the three of us followed behind, making out way inside the dark home. I shined my flashlight around, finding a dead woman covered in blood, lying on the floor. Bobby let out a sad sigh, making his way out of the room and into the next one.

"Salt line." Sam said, pointing to the front of the door.

Dean went over to a small table, picking up an EMF meter. "Olivia was rocking the EMF meter."

"Spirit activity." I muttered.

"Yeah, on steroids. I never seen a ghost do this to a person."

"Me either." I sighed as Bobby came back into the room. "You okay?"

"What do you think?" Bobby snapped, shaking his head. "I called some hunters nearby, but they're not answering their phones either."

Sam nodded. "Something's up, huh?"

"You think?" Bobby spat, stalking out of the room. The three of us shared a concerned look as Bobby left angrily.

* * *

 **HOUSE – NIGHT**

After we'd left Olivia's home, Bobby gave us the address of another hunter who lived close by so we could go check up on him while he did the same for some others. We made our way into the large home, the lights already turned on inside.

"Jed?" I called, walking cautiously through the room, my gun drawn just in case. "We're friends of Bobby Singer. Are you here?"

The boys and I stopped at the entrance of a small office, seeing shards of glass laying in the hallway. With a deep breath, I turned into the room, grimacing at the sight in front of me. Jed laid there on the floor, salt thrown all around his bloody body. Getting a little closer, I realized that his chest was ripped open, his insides gone.

"Damn." Dean huffed, shaking his head. "This is bad."

"Yeah." Sam nodded. I pulled my phone out as we left the house, calling Bobby.

"Hey." I muttered when he picked up. "So, we're in Jackson. And it- well, it's not pretty. He looks even worse than Olivia."

" _Dammit._ "

"What about you?"

" _I checked on Carl Bates and R.C. Adams. They've redecorated... in red._ "

"What is going on here? Why did a bunch of spirits suddenly want to kill off-duty hunters?

" _I don't know, but until we find out, you guys better get your asses to my place._ "

"Yeah. We're on our way." I replied, hanging up as we got into the Impala.

As we drove, Dean noticed that we needed to fill up on gas, pulling into a station on the way back to Bobby's. I got out with Dean to stretch my legs as Sam headed into the bathroom, leaving the two of us alone.

"How you doing?"

"Okay." I shrugged, leaning up against the side of the Impala. "You?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded, looking down. I let out a small sigh, placing a kiss on his lips. Dean smiled down at me as I pulled back, glancing up over my head. "Sam's been in there a long time, hasn't he?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "How long does it take a dude to pee?"

"Not that long."

"Do you think something's wrong?" I asked, feeling concerned.

"I don't know." Dean said, grabbing a shotgun out of the trunk as we made our way over to the bathrooms.

"You wouldn't have left half a dozen innocent people in that police station to die in your place. You did this to me. It was your fault. She was after you, and I paid the price. You left us there to die!" I heard a man's voice shout before some commotion started inside the room.

"Watch." Dean called, gently moving me aside as he kicked the door open, shooting the ghost with a round of rock salt, causing it to disappear. I went in, picking a groggy Sam up off the ground, noticing the bruises that already started to from on his face.

As Dean helped Sam back to the Impala, I called Bobby, getting nothing but a voicemail. With a worried huff, I tried again. "Come on, Bobby. Pick up."

"I'm fine, Dean. Let me go." Sam complained.

"Shut up, I'm helping you." Dean mumbled, shoving Sam into the backseat, causing him to bang his head on the frame of the car. "Sorry."

"Uh-huh." Sam glared, rubbing his head.

"How you feeling, huh? How many fingers am I holding up?" Dean asked not holding up any fingers.

Sam furrowed his brow in confusion, glancing up at Dean with a raised eyebrow. "None."

"Right."

"I'll be fine, Dean. Can we just get out of here?"

"Sure, yeah." Dean nodded, sliding into the driver seat while I got into the passengers. "So, who was the spook?"

"Henriksen."

"Henriksen? Victor Henriksen?" I asked, glancing back.

"Yup."

"Why?" Dean asked. "What did he want?"

"Revenge, 'cause we got him killed." Sam said, staring over at his brother as he shook his head. "Well, we did, Dean."

"Oh, come on-"

"Okay, let's just stop. Whatever's going on with other hunters is happening to us now. I can't get a hold of Bobby, so if you're not thinking of answers, don't think at all." I ordered, gaining a slightly surprised look from Dean and a nod from Sam.

"I love it when you take charge like that." Dean commented.

"Dean, drive!" I exclaimed, shaking my head.

* * *

 **BOBBY'S HOUSE – DAY  
** DPOV

I took the lead as we entered Bobby's house, my gun drawn out as I looked around, not seeing him anywhere. Tori and Sam followed in behind me, peeking into the kitchen as I walked to the bottom of the steps.

"Bobby?" I called. Tori picked up an iron poker lying on the ground in the middle of the living room, glancing up to me with a worried look as I turned back to Sam. "We'll go, you check outside."

Sam nodded, heading back outside to look for Bobby there as Tori and I made our way upstairs, moving cautiously.

Tori walked a bit ahead of me, pushing Bobby's bedroom door open, stepping inside. "Bobby? You there?" Suddenly, the door slammed shut, blocking us off from each other. "Dean!?"

"Tori?!" I called as we both tried to open it, but there was no use. It was locked.

"Dean Winchester." A woman's voice sounded behind me. I turned around, seeing a girl with shoulder length brown hair standing there, something familiar about her as she smiled cynically. "You don't recognize me? This is what I looked like before that demon cut off my hair and dressed me like a slut."

The tone of her voice brought me back a few years, remembering the same girl, only with short blonde hair.

"Meg?"

"It's okay, I'm not a demon."

"You're the girl the demon possessed."

"Meg Masters. Nice to finally talk to you when I'm not, you know, choking on my own blood. It's okay. Seriously, I'm just a college girl. Sorry – _was_. I was walking home one night and got jumped by all this smoke. Next thing you know, I'm a prisoner. Now, I was awake. I had to watch while she murdered people."

"I'm sorry." I muttered.

"Oh, yeah? So sorry you had me thrown off a building?"

"We thought-"

"No, you didn't think!" She shouted suddenly. "I kept waiting! Praying! I was trapped in there screaming at you! _Just help me, please_! You're supposed to help people, Dean. Why didn't you help me?!"

"I'm sorry."

"Stop saying you're sorry!" She shouted, slapping me, knocking me to the ground.

"Meg." I called as she kicked me in the stomach. "We didn't know."

"No. You just attacked. You just charged in, slashing and burning. You think you're some kind of hero?" She asked, picking me up by my jacket.

"No, I don't."

"You're damn right." She said, pushing me back to the ground. "It wasn't just me, Dean. I had a sister. A little sister. She worshiped me. You know how little siblings are, right? How they'll do anything for you. She was never the same after I disappeared. She just- she just got lost. And when my body was lying in the morgue beat-up and broken..."

"Meg-"

"Do you know what that did to her? She killed herself!" She exclaimed, kicking me in the stomach again. "Because of you, Dean! Because all you were thinking about was your family, your revenge, and your demons! Fifty words of Latin a little sooner, and I'd still be alive. My baby sister would still be alive. That blood is on your hands, Dean!

"You're right." I nodded, grimacing in pain as I pulled out my gun, aiming it at her.

"Come on, Dean, did your brain get french-fried in hell? You can't shoot me with bullets."  
"I'm not shooting you." I muttered, aiming the gun at the chandelier above her, shooting the chain. It fell sending her away in a poof of smoke. "Iron."

* * *

TPOV

"Dean!" I called through the door, hearing him groan in pain as Meg's muffled voice shouted that it was his fault her little sister had killed herself. I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach, resting my head on the door as a wave of guilt hit me.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, followed by a loud crash and someone grab my arms from behind, pushing my back hard against the wall.

My eyes widened when I saw a dark-haired woman standing there, glaring at me. "Remember me? Remember sinking that knife into my stomach?"

"Tammi?" I asked, my voice shaking slightly.

"You know, that demon, she showed me some things from her time with you. What she did. How you were possessed. And here I thought you would help me...that you would have tried to save me! But no. You _killed_ me. You murdered me! You took me away from my family!" She shouted in anger, pulling me away from the wall, only to slam my head against it again.

Dean banged on the door, trying to open it. "Tori!?"

"Tammi, I'm so sorry." I muttered.

"No, you're not! Because you got what you wanted, whatever the cost. You got your revenge. And now, I'll get mine." She said, sneering at me as Dean continued to try and get in, kicking on the door. "Your knight in shining armor won't be able to save you this time."

Tammi threw me down to the ground, I let out a groan of pain as she knelt on top of me, struggling against her grip as she wrapped a hand around my throat, dragging the other down to my chest where she dug her nails into my skin, creating long scratches.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the iron poker lying on the ground. I stretched for it, the ends of my fingers barely brushing against it. I stretched a bit farther, my vision starting to blur as she dug her fingertips into my throat, grabbing the very edge of the poker. I quickly swung it back around, hitting her with it. I coughed as she disappeared into a cloud of smoke, holding my throat as I stood up, opening the door.

Dean immediately pulled me to him before we made our way back downstairs, finding Sam and Bobby sitting in the living room.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked, watching us in concern, seeing the marks on my chest.

"Yeah." Dean nodded.

"What the hell is going on here?"

"Revenge." Bobby mumbled. "That's what the hell is going on here."

"So, they're all people we know?"

"Not just know. People we couldn't save." Dean said.

"Or people we killed." I said, looking down in guilt.

"What?"

"Tammi. It was Tammi."

"Tori-"

"And she's right, Dean. I killed her."

"You didn't know."

"But I did know. That's the thing. I knew. But I didn't care."

"Don't say that. You know that's not true."

"Hey, I saw something on Henriksen. He didn't have a tattoo when he was alive, did he?" Sam asked, changing the subject.

"I don't think so." Dean replied. "You know, I saw something on Meg, too. It was like a-a mark on her hand, almost like a brand."

"I saw one on Tammi." I added.

"What did it look like?" Bobby asked.

"Paper?" I asked, holding my hand out to Bobby, who handed me a pencil and pad. I started drawing the symbol, from as much as I could remember, showing it to the boys. "Like this?"

"That's it." Dean said as Sam nodded in agreement.

"I may have seen this before. We got to move." Bobby said, standing up. "Follow me."

"Okay, where are we going?" Sam asked.

"Someplace safe, you idiot."

Bobby picked up a few books, shoving them in my arms before grabbing a couple more, leading us down into the basement and over to a solid room covered with devil's traps and other sigals.

Sam shook his head, staring up at it in awe. "Bobby, is this..."

"Solid iron. Completely coated in salt. One hundred percent ghost-proof."

"You built a ghost and demon proof panic room?" I asked.

"I had a weekend off." Bobby shrugged like it was no big deal.

"Bobby." Dean started, smiling over at him.

"What?"

"You're awesome."

Bobby rolled his eyes, entering the room. "Why don't you get your asses in here so we can stay safe?"

"Sounds good." Dean nodded, the three of us stepping inside as Bobby shut the door behind us.

I looked around the room, noticing a poster of a swimsuit model taped to the wall. "Oh, wow."

"Guess that's just in case you get lonely in here, huh?"

Bobby glared over at the both of us, dropping his pile of books onto one of the desks in the room, pulling up a chair to start sorting through them. "Get to work."

"Yeah." I sighed, starting to load a few guns with Dean.

"See, this is why I can't get behind God." Dean muttered randomly.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked.

"If he doesn't exist, fine. Bad shit happens to good people. That's how it is. There's no rhyme or reason, just random, horrible, evil. I get it, okay. I can roll with that. But if he is out there, what's wrong with him? Where the hell is he while all these decent people are getting torn to shreds? How does he live with himself? You know, why doesn't he help?"

"That's actually a good question." I nodded, looking back down to the gun in my hands contemplatively. "Maybe he's...busy?"

"With what?" Dean scoffed. "Laying up on a big, fluffy cloud?"

"I ain't touching this one with at ten-foot pole." Bobby mumbled, looking back down to the book in front of him. "Found it."

"What?" Sam asked.

"The symbol you saw. The brand on the ghosts. It's the Mark of the Witness."

" _Witness_? Witness to what?"

"The unnatural. None of them died what you'd call ordinary deaths. See, these ghosts, they were forced to rise. They woke up in agony. They were like rabid dogs. It ain't their fault. Someone rose them on purpose."

"Who?"

"Do I look like I know? But whoever it was used a spell so powerful it left a mark, a brand on their souls. Whoever did this had big plans. It's called t _he rising of the witnesses._ It figures into an ancient prophecy." Bobby said, sending a chill down my spine, shooting me a pointed look.

"What book is that prophecy from?" Dean asked.

"Well, the widely distributed version's just for tourists, you know. But long story short-"

"Revelations." I finished, swallowing hard.

Bobby nodded. "This is a sign."

"A sigh of what?" Sam and Dean asked in unison.

"The apocalypse." I answered.

" _Apocalypse_? The _apocalypse_ , apocalypse?" Dean asked. "The four horsemen, pestilence, five-dollar-a-gallon-gas apocalypse?"

"That's the one." Bobby nodded. "The rise of the witnesses is a mile marker."

"Okay, so, what do we do now?" Sam asked.

"Road trip. Grand Canyon. Star Trek Experience. Bunny Ranch." Dean muttered, listing off a few things.

" _Bunny ranch_?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as Dean shrugged.

"First things first, how about we survive our friends out there?" Bobby asked pointedly.

"Any ideas aside from staying in this room until Judgment Day?"

"It's a spell to send the witnesses back to rest. Should work."

" _Should_." Sam sighed. "Great."

"If I translate it correctly. I think I got everything we need here at the house."

"Any chance you got everything we need here in this room?" I asked.

"So, you thought our luck was gonna start now all of a sudden?" Bobby asked sarcastically "Spell's got to be cast over an open fire."

"Of course it does."

Dean huffed, shaking his head. "That's just not as appealing as a _ghost-proof panic room_ , you know?"

"Cover each other." Bobby said, standing in front of the door, glancing back at us. "And aim careful. Don't run out of ammo until I'm done, or they'll shred you. Ready?"

"No." I mumbled.

"Great." Bobby nodded, opening the door.

We kept out guns raised, walking carefully towards the stairs, stopping when we spotting the ghost of a man with curly brown hair sitting at the top of the steps.

"Hey, Dean. You remember me?" He asked, a small grin on his lips. It was then that I remembered him from that bank in Milwaukee.

"Ronald, huh?" Dean asked. "With the laser eyes? I wish I could say it's good to see you."

"I am dead because of you. You were supposed to help me!" He shouted.

Bobby didn't waste any time, shooting him. "If you're gonna shoot, shoot. Don't talk."

"Right." Dean nodded as we headed up the stairs and into the living room where he started a fire in the fireplace while I made a large salt circle around us.

"Upstairs, linen closet, there's red hex box. It'll be heavy." Bobby said to Sam, who nodded.

"Got it."

Just then, the image of two young girls appeared in the living room, the both of them glaring up at Bobby.

"Bobby..." One of them called, her voice small and shaky. Dean quickly shot at the spirits, sending them away, while I went over to Bobby, who was clearly shaken by the encounter.

"Kitchen. Cutlery drawer. It's got a false bottom. Hemlock, opium, wormwood."

"Opium?" Dean asked.

"Go!" Bobby shouted, handing me a piece of chalk so we could both start drawing the symbols on the desk. As we did so, the girls reappeared, staring at him.

"Bobby. You walked right by us while that monster ate us all up-" One started.

"You could have saved us." The other finished. I pulled up my gun to shoot the two spirits as Bobby tried to ignore them. Just then, the kitchen doors slammed shut, cutting us off from Dean.

DPOV 

"Dean!?" I heard Tori call out as the door slammed shut again.

"I'm alright." I told her. "Keep working!"

As I turned back towards the drawer, I saw Henriksen's ghost standing there, glaring at me. "Dean."

"I know."

"No. You don't."

"It's my fault you're dead. I left you behind. And the minute I heard about that explosion, I thought, _I should have known_. I should have protected you."

"You think you left and Lilith came and we all died in a beautiful blast of white light? If only." He scoffed. "Forty-five minutes."

"What?"

"Over forty-five minutes. Lilith said she wanted to have some fun. The secretary was first. Remember her? Nancy, the virgin. Lilith filleted Nancy's skin off piece by piece. Right in front of us, made us watch. Nancy never stopped screaming."

I shook my head, feeling horrible. "No."

"I was the last."

"Victor..."

"Tell me how it's fair." He spat, reaching inside my chest, grabbing my heart. "You get saved from hell, I die. Why do you deserve another chance, Dean?"

I heard the sound of a gunshot echo through the room, looking over to see Sam entering, his gun drawn. I fell to the floor as Henriksen disappeared from sight, staring over at where he once was.

"You alright?" Sam asked, helping me up.

"No."

"Let's go."

Sam and I carried the hex box back out into the living room where Bobby and Tori were bent over the desk, getting everything together. When Tori saw me, she stopped what she was doing, making her way over.

TPOV 

"Are you okay?" I asked, helping them place the heavy box on the table.

"Uh, yeah." Dean nodded, though I knew he was lying.

"Okay." I muttered. We started loading more guns, getting everything together when Ronald appeared again, walking to the edge of the salt circle.

"Ronald. Hey, come on, man. I thought we were pals."

"That's when I was breathing. Now I'm gonna eat you alive."

"Well...come on, I'm not a cheeseburger." Dean cocked his gun, pointing it towards Ronald, who vanished before he could shoot.

As Bobby started reciting Latin behind us, the windows blew open, a huge gust of wind filling the room, sending papers flying all over the place, breaking the ring of salt around us. Meg appeared, but Sam quickly shot her. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tammi appear again, and I raised my gun, firing at her.

Henriksen appeared, knocking Dean's gun out of his hand as he tried to reload it, approaching him, grabbing him by the throat, pushing him against the wall. Just then, Meg appeared, moving a desk over to Sam, pinning him against the wall before appearing behind Bobby, plunging a hand into his back, causing him to drop the bowl.

"Vic! Fireplace!" Bobby called.

As Tammi appeared behind me, reaching for me, I quickly grabbed the bowl, throwing the contents into the fire, watching is it turned blue. All the spirits disappeared from view, causing Bobby to fall to the desk, and Dean to fall to the ground.

Sam pushed the desk away, going over to check on Bobby while I went to Dean, making sure he was okay.

* * *

A while later after everything had calmed down, Dean had fallen asleep on the couch, his head resting on my shoulder while I listened to Sam snoring softly on the floor in front of us. After everything that had happened, I just couldn't seem to make myself fall asleep.

Out of nowhere, the ringing in my ears got louder and I looked up into the kitchen to see Castiel standing there. I shrugged my shoulder, waking Dean up. He looked at me groggily, wiping some drool off his chin. I nodded into the kitchen, silently telling him to look.

As soon as he caught Castiel's eye, he got up, stalking over to him. I let out a quiet sigh, tip-toeing over Sam to make my way into the kitchen.

"Excellent job with the witnesses." Castiel appraised.

"You were hip to all this?" Dean asked.

"I'm sorry?"

"He's asking if you knew." I clarified. "If you knew what was going on?"

"I was, uh, made aware."

"Well, thanks a lot for the angelic assistance." Dean mumbled, shaking his head.

"I have helped before."

"Oh, yeah? How?"

"With Lilith."

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"Why do you think she wasn't able to kill you? I stopped that. I stopped her. I helped."

"After Dean was already...gone." I said through gritted teeth, taking a step towards him, my sudden flare of anger overshadowing any fear I might have had. "You're telling me you were there? That you could've stepped in before that? You could've stopped it?"

"No."

"You could've stopped this, too." Dean interjected. "You know, I almost got my heart ripped out of my chest."

"But you didn't."

"That's a great response." I scoffed.

"I thought angels were supposed to be guardians. Fluffy wings and halos. You know, _Michael Landon_. Not dicks."

"Read the Bible." Castiel said, narrowing his eyes. "Angels are warriors of God. I'm a soldier."

"Yeah? Then, why didn't you fight?"

"I'm not here to perch on your shoulder. We had larger concerns."

"Concerns? There were people getting torn to shreds down here! And, by the way, while all this is going on, where the hell is your boss, huh? If there is a God?"

"There is a God."

"I'm not convinced. 'Cause if there's a God, what the hell is he waiting for, huh? Genocide? Monsters roaming the earth? The freaking apocalypse? At what point does he lift a damn finger and help the poor bastards that are stuck down here?"

"The Lord works..."

"If you say _in mysterious ways_ , so help me, I will kick your ass." Dean threatened. Castiel stared at him, clearly unaffected.

"So, Bobby was right about the witnesses?" I asked, trying to calm the situation down. "This is a sign of the apocalypse."

"That's why we're here." Castiel nodded. "Big things afoot."

"Do we want to know what kind of things?"

"I sincerely doubt it, but you need to know, the rising of the witnesses is one of the sixty-six seals."

"Okay." Dean nodded. "I'm guessing that's not a show at Seaworld."

"Those seals are being broken by Lilith."

"She did the spell. She rose the witnesses."

"And not just here. Twenty other hunters are dead."

"Of course. She picked victims that the hunters couldn't save so that they would barrel right after us."

"Lilith has a certain sense of humor."

"Well, we put those spirits back to rest."

"It doesn't matter. The seal was broken."

"Why break the seal anyway?" Dean asked.

"You think of the seals as locks on a door."

"So what happens when the last one is opened? Lucifer walks free?" I asked incredulously.

"Precisely." Castiel nodded, leaving me dumbfounded.

"What?"

"Wait, Lucifer?" Dean asked, shaking his head. "But I thought Lucifer was just a story they told at demon Sunday school. There's no such thing."  
"Three days ago, you thought there was no such thing as me. Why do you think we're here?"

"To stop...Lucifer." Dean mumbled. "Well, bang-up job so far. Stellar work with the witnesses. That's nice."

"We tried. And there are other battles, other seals. Some we'll win, some we'll lose. This one we lost. Our numbers are not unlimited. Six of my brothers died in the field this week. You think the armies of heaven should just follow you around? There's a bigger picture here." Castiel said, staring over at Dean. "You should show me some respect. I dragged you out of hell. I can throw you back in."

I narrowed my eyes at him, about to throw out the whole _angel_ thing and tell him off as he disappeared from sight.

Just then, my eyes snapped open to a bright room, glancing over to see Dean looking around in as much shock and disarray as I was.

Dean shook his head. "Did you just-"

"What just-" I started, the both of us speaking at the same time, blinking at each other in confusion. "Was that a dream?"

"I don't know."

"What's wrong?" Sam asked, walking over to us from the kitchen. "You guys okay?"

"So, you got no problem believing in god and angels?" Dean asked, sharing a look with me before turning back to his brother.

"No, not really." Sam shrugged. "Why?"

"I guess that means that you believe in the devil. 'Cause if you don't...I think you better start."

* * *

 **Another chapter down! I really can't wait for Cas to get that stick out of his butt though, like honestly, he's gonna be so much more fun to write after that ;D**

 **Also, damn this website for not letting me put the full episode title as the chapter title lol**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Twitter: phoenixwrites79  
Instagram: phoenixwritesfanfiction **


	6. In the Beginning

_Feels like I'm waking from the dead  
And everyone's been waiting on me  
_' _Least now I'll never have to wonder what it's like to sleep a year away  
But weren't we indestructible?  
I thought that we could brave it all  
I never thought that what would take me out was hiding down below  
_… _._

 _Wish I could find a crystal ball  
For the days I feel completely worthless  
You know I'd use it all for good, I would not take it for granted  
Instead I'd have some memories  
For the days I don't feel anything  
At the least they will remind me not to make the same mistakes again  
_…

 _There's a time and place to die  
And this ain't it  
There's a time and place to die  
And this ain't it, this ain't it  
This ain't it  
There's a time and place to die  
There's a time and place to die  
But this ain't it  
No_

 _If there's a future, we want it_  
 _(Now)_  
 _If there's a future, we want it_  
 _(Now)_  
 _If there's a future, we want it now_  
 _If there's a future we want it_  
 _(Now)_  
 _If there's a future, we want it_  
 _(Now)_  
 _Now, now_

 _ **Paramore – Now**_

* * *

Since the sun had set, I'd tried to sleep a few times, but couldn't seem to. Instead, I decided to get up and take a shower, hoping the warm water would calm my nerves. I slowly got off the bed, careful not to wake Dean, who was sleeping next to me. I passed by Sam, who was snoring softly in his bed, grabbing a change of clothes before making my way into the bathroom.

As I stripped my shirt off, I stared at myself in the mirror, grimacing at the four huge claw marks scarred into the skin at my hip. With a sigh, I pulled my jeans off, stepping into the warm water.

Once I was done with the shower, I wrapped a towel around myself. As I stepped out, I saw Castiel standing there, staring at me. I let out a small scream, holding the towel tightly to me.

"What the hell, dude? Were you watching me shower?"

"You need to join Dean."

"What?"

"You need to go back."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, batting his hand away as he lifted it towards my head.

"You have to go with Dean." He said, raising his hand again.

I moved away, staring at him in confusion. "Why do you keep trying to touch me?"

Castiel let out a huff, holding my hand down as he placed a his fingers to my forehead. In the blink of an eye, I found myself standing butt-naked in the middle of a sidewalk, the only thing around me was the towel I held up.

"That son of a bitch." I hissed under my breath, rushing over to an alleyway to get away from all the prying eyes.

* * *

DPOV 

After the cop had kicked me off the bench that I had no memory of falling asleep on, I made my way across the street to a small diner, sitting on the only available stool next to another guy, who looked friendly enough.

"Hey, where the hell am I?" I asked.

"Jay Bird's Diner." He replied.

"Yeah, thanks." I nodded, trying not to roll my eyes. "I mean, uh, city and state."

"Lawrence, Kansas."

"Lawrence…?" I mumbled, looking around with wide eyes.

"Hey, you okay buddy?"

"Yeah, tough night."

"Hey, uh, coffee here, Reg." He called to the man behind the counter.

"Okay, coming right up." Reg replied.

"Can you tell me where I can get reception on this thing?" I asked, pulling out my phone, that still showed no bars.

"The _USS Enterprise_?" The man asked, staring down at the phone in confusion.

I shot him a weird look as Reg came over with a cup of coffee, placing it down in front of me. It was then I noticed his clothes and the severe seventies vibe that he was sending. "Thanks...nice threads. You know Sonny and Cher broke up, right?"

"Sonny and Cher broke up?" The man beside me asked, full of shock.

At that point, I started taking in the diner around me, noticing everyone was dressed in hippie-like clothes. I glanced down at the paper the man beside me was reading, seeing that it was dated April thirtieth, nineteen-seventy-three.

What the fuck is going on?

"Hey, Winchester." A another man called, entering the diner. I looked up, seeing that he was speaking to the guy sitting next to me, moving over to shake his hand. "Son of a bitch. How you doing, Corporal?"

"Hey, Mr. D." The man smiled.

"I heard you were back."

"Yeah, a little while now."

"Good to have you home, John, damn good."

"Dad?" I asked quietly, staring over at him with wide eyes.

"Well, say hello to your old man for me."

"You got it, Mr. D." Dad smiled, noticing I was staring at him. "Do we know each other?"

"I guess not."

"Take it easy, pal." Dad nodded, getting up to leave.

"Yeah." I mumbled, watching him go.

I didn't take long before following him outside, keeping a good distance from him as he headed down the street. Just as I turned a corner, I bumped into a man who was just standing there, looking up to see that it was Castiel.

"What is this?" I asked.

"What does it look like?"

"Is it real?"

"Very."

"Did you bring Tori here, too?"

"Yes."

"Where is she?"

"...in good hands."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? You gotta give me more than that, man."

"She will be with her mother."

"Her mother?"

"Yes."

"What do you mean?" I asked, realizing he wasn't about to answer anymore. "Okay, so what? Angels got their hands on some Deloreans? How did we get here?"

"Time is fluid, Dean. It's not easy, but we can bend it on occasion."

"Well, bend it back or tell me what the hell we're doing here!"

"I told you, you have to stop it."

"Stop what? What? Is there something nasty after my Dad?" I asked, momentarily distracted by the sound of a loud car horn behind me. When I turned back, Castiel was gone. "Oh, come on! What, are you allergic to straight answers, you son of a bitch?!"

* * *

TPOV 

It seemed like an eternity had passed that I'd been hiding out in this alleyway, trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do when I saw a cop pass by. I sunk back a little, hoping he didn't catch me.

Of course, I couldn't be that lucky.

"What are you doing?" He asked, walking over to me.

"Uh-"

"Is there a reason as to why you're not wearing clothes?"

"Yeah. Some asshole dropped me off here." I muttered, hoping Castiel could hear me, wherever he was.

"You're under arrest for indecent exposure." The cop mumbled, roughly grabbing my arm.

"Wait, what? No, you don't understand."

"Oh, I understand. You're drunk."

"I am not!" I exclaimed, struggling against his grip all while trying to hold the towel up.

"Sure." He nodded, ready to put the cuffs on me.

"Castiel, you jerk! Do something about this!" I called, looking up at the sky.

The cop stared down at me for a moment, shaking his head, clearly thinking I was insane. "I don't get paid enough to deal with all the crazies in this town."

"Do something!"

Just then, a woman around my age stopped at the mouth of the alley, looking over at all the commotion. She quickly made her way over, looking up at the cop. "What's going on?"

"Nothing you should be worried about, ma'am." The cop replied, pulling me towards the sidewalk.

"Wait!" She called, rushing over to us. "That's my sister."

"Your sister?"

" _Your sister_?" I asked incredulously.

"Yeah." She nodded.

The cop glanced down at me, looking back to her. "Really?"

"Yes." She smiled, holding a hand out to me. I glanced down at her cautiously. It was either play along or go to jail.

"My sister, yeah." I nodded.

"I've been looking for her everywhere."

"Want to explain why your sister is running around town in a towel?" The cop asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She had a little too much to drink." She said, looking over at me. "Didn't you, sweetie?"

"...yeah."

"But you said you weren't drunk." The cop mumbled.

"What drunk admits they're drunk?" The woman asked, looking up at him with a coy smile, batting her eyelashes. "Come on, sir. Please, let her go?"

The cop looked between the two of us for a moment, pushing me over into the woman's arms. "Don't let this happen again."

"It won't." She smiled. "Thanks Officer."

"Y- yeah." He blushed as the woman quickly dragged me out of the alley and over to a beige car, holding the passenger door open for me.

"My name's Elizabeth. But you can just call me Liz." She said, getting into the driver seat.

"I'm Tori.."

"Oh, like Victoria?" Liz asked, to which I just nodded. "I love that name."

"Right." I sighed. "Thanks for that back there. You didn't have to."

"You needed help."

"I could be crazy."

"You probably are considering you're walking around in just a towel. Why _are_ you walking around in a towel?" She asked, glancing over at me. "I heard you say some asshole dropped you off here…? Is it your boyfriend?"

"Jesus, no." I scoffed, shaking my head. "I don't even really know the guy."

"What did you say his name was?"

"Castiel."

"...I know a Castiel."

"Really?" I asked, a little surprised at that.

"Small world, I guess." Liz laughed a little, shaking her head. "Well, I'll bring you back home, get you some clothes."

"Thanks. You know, for being so nice."

"Sure." She smiled, pressing play on the cassette desk in the car, the sound of _Hey Jude_ surrounding us as she drove off. I glanced over at her, watching as she sang along, the sound of her voice sending a chill down my spine, a strange familiarity to it.

I shrugged the feeling off, keeping my eyes trained out the window.

* * *

DPOV 

After a little bit of trailing, I followed Dad to a car dealership. I expected him to make his way over to the sixty-seven Impala that was sitting a few spaces down, but instead he and the salesman made this way over to an old, beige VW van. I watched from afar as the man talked Dad into buying the van, and did everything to not puke right then and there.

"I'll get the paperwork." The salesman smiled, heading back inside the building. I took the opportunity, making my way over to the van, watching Dad as he checked out the headlights.

"That's not the one you want." I said.

"You following me?" Dad asked, straightening up.

"No, I was just passing by. I never got to thank you for that cup of coffee this morning. I was a little out of it." I said, shooting him a smile.

"More than a little."

"Let me repay the favor." I said, patting the hood of the Impala. "This is the one you want."

"Oh yeah? You know something about cars?"

"Yeah...my Dad taught me everything I know. And this, _this_ is a great car." I said, opening the hood as Dad stood beside me, looking inside. "327 four barrel, 275 horses. A little TLC and this thing is cherry."

"You know man, you're right." Dad nodded.

"Then what are you buying that thing for?" I asked, nodding over to the van.

"I kinda promised someone I would."

"Over a sixty-seven Chevy? I mean, come on, this is the car of a lifetime. Trust me, this thing's still gonna be badass when it's forty."

Dad considereing it for a moment, holding his hand out to me. "John Winchester. Thanks."

"Dean... _Van Halen_." I scrambled, shaking his hand. "And thank you. I was in pretty rough shape this morning, huh?"

"No kidding."

"I've been hung over before but...hey, I was- I was getting chills in that diner. You didn't feel any of those cold spots, did you?"

"Nope."

"I swore I smelled something weird too, you know? Like- like rotten eggs. You didn't happen to smell any sulfur by chance?" I pressed, waiting for him to realize that I was a hunter.

Dad glanced up, shaking his head. "No."

"No..." I sighed. "There been any cattle mutilations in town recently?"

"Okay, mister! Stop it."

"Yeah, if only I knew what to stop." I mumbled to myself, shaking my head. "Listen, uh – watch out for yourself okay?"

"Yeah, sure." Dad nodded, watching me strangely as I left.

* * *

The sun was starting to set by the time I'd followed Dad to a suburban street, lined with perfect little homes. He pulled up in front of one of them, honking the horn. A young blonde woman ran out, looking at the car in confusion.

"What's this?"

"My car." Dad replied, following her around the back of it.

"What happened to the van?"

"Mary, this is better than the van. This has got a 327, a four barrel carburetor-"

The beginning of that sentence rang through my head as I stared in shock, tears forming in my eyes.

...Mom?

* * *

TPOV 

A little while later, Liz pulled up in front of a nice sized suburban home. As she got out of the car, she grabbed a jacket out from the backseat, wrapping it around my shoulders before we headed inside.

"My parents aren't home, so you don't have to worry about meeting them or anything." She said, leading me up a staircase.

"Why would I be worried?"

"If you knew them, you'd worry." Liz chuckled, leading me to a bedroom with two beds inside. "I share this room with my sister. If I don't have any clothes you like, you can look at some of hers."

"That doesn't matter. Whatever you pick is fine." I shrugged.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay." Liz shoved a high-wasted skirt similar to the one she was currently wearing, into my arms along with a flowy top. "You okay with a skirt?"

I nodded, not about to argue with her generosity. "Thanks."

"Yeah." She smiled, heading out of the room. "You can get changed in here. I'll wait outside."

"Okay." I smiled back as she shut the door behind herself. I pulled on the skirt and shirt, making my way over to the door, opening it to see her leaning against the wall.

Liz glanced up, a smile on her face. "You look even better in those than I do. Which is saying a lot, cause I look pretty damn good in that."

"Thanks." I chuckled.

"What size shoe are you?"

"Um, eight."

"Look at that. Same size." Liz grinned, handing me a pair of Mary-Janes.

"Thanks...again." I nodded, slipping the shoes on. "So, uh, I have a bit of a weird question. What- what year is it?"

"You hit the sauce pretty hard, huh?"

"I guess, yeah."

"Nineteen-seventy-three."

"You're kidding?" I asked, taken a-back.

"Nope. I'm serious. Lawrence, Kansas, nineteen-seventy-three."

"Kansas?"

"Yeah. You didn't even know what state you're in?"

"Oh, uh, yeah." I nodded, shrugging it off. "Yeah."

"Maybe you need some food to sober you up." Liz said, pulling on a cardigan. "Want to head down to the diner?"

"Um, no, it's okay-"

"I insist. Come on. You can meet my sister down there, too." Liz smiled, bounding down the stairs with me close behind. "She's with her boyfriend, but it wouldn't be the first time I crashed one of their dates."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I do it all the time." She shrugged, getting into the car.

Not too long later, it was dark outside and we were pulling up in front of a bustling diner. As we entered, we passed a sixty-seven Impala. My mind lingered on it for a moment, but it just had to have been pure coincidence.

Liz looked around the diner, leading me over to a booth where a blonde woman was sitting next to a dark-haired guy, the both of them sipping on shakes.

The man looked up, shooting a warm smile at Liz as she slipped into the booth across from them. "Hey, I didn't know you were coming."

"Me either." The blonde mumbled, a tinge of annoyance in her voice.

"Nice to see you too, Mar." Liz commented, patting the seat next to her, gesturing for me to sit. I slid into the booth rather awkwardly as the couple stared at me.

"Who is this?"

"Tori." Liz introduced me. "Tori, this is my sister Mary and her boyfriend John."

I froze at the mention of their names, not even realizing for a moment how intensely I was now staring at the couple in front of me, my mouth hanging open in shock and awe.

But it can't be...right?

"Are you alright?" John asked, looking at me with concern.

"Uh, yeah." I muttered, shaking my head. "Kind of."

"Do you need something to drink?" Mary asked, the hard and wary look in her eyes switching to one of kindness as I started to sway in the booth, probably looking like I was about to pass out.

"No- no. It okay. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Liz asked.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry, excuse me." Mary muttered, staring out the window as she got up, heading over towards the bathroom.

"Did you do it yet?" Liz asked, leaning over to John.

"Well, I was about to. But then you showed up."

"Okay, okay. Sorry. Let me see it again."

"No."

"John-"

"What if she comes back? She'll see."

"I'm watching, she's not."

"Fine." John sighed, pulling out a small red box, opening it to reveal an engagement ring. "What do you think?"

"Me?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

"Yeah. It'd be good to get the opinion of another girl before I do it."

"It's really pretty." I smiled, feeling the prickling of tears in my eyes. I couldn't believe I was witnessing this.

Just then, Liz perked up, staring out the window as Mary moved by. "I'll be right back."

"What?" John asked as she got up.

A moment passed before I made my way outside, following Liz as we came upon Mary, who was grappling with a man in the shadows. As they turned, the man got the upper hand, pinning Mary to the wall.

"How about we talk about this, huh?"

"Dean?" I murmured, immediately recognizing his voice.

"Hey, let go of her!" Liz shouted, about to hook an arm around his neck when I stopped her, stepping over by Dean.

"Wait!"

"Let me go!" Mary demanded.

"Tori?" Dean asked, glancing back at me with wide eyes.

"You know each other?" Liz asked, suddenly looking a little more wary of me than before.

"This isn't what it looks like-"

"He's been following me!" Mary exclaimed, her sleeve moving down to reveal a charm bracelet as she struggled.

Dean glanced down at the charms, looking back up to her eyes. "Are you a hunter?"

"What?"

"Oh, so you just wear these for kicks?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"If I let you go, you gonna try and punch me again?"

"No." Mary muttered. Dean nodded, slowly letting her arms go. As soon as he did so, she reared back, about to punch him, but he was ready for it, pinning her arms to the wall again. "Let go of me!"

"I know you're a hunter. Because I'm a hunter." Dean said, nodding over to me. "We're hunters."

Time seemed to stop in that moment as we all stared at each other in shock and surprise, neither one of us quite sure what to do.

* * *

After a little more convincing, Mary had finally stopped trying to punch Dean every two seconds, heading back inside to John, who was waiting for her with no clue of anything that just happened. Dean and I headed back to the car that he'd hot-wired, heading back over to Mary and Liz's house, finding another car parked in the driveway that wasn't there before.

"I don't know if you noticed, but Liz's necklace...it's just like yours." Dean mumbled as we walked up the sidewalk towards the house.

"What?" I asked, looking up at him in confusion. "No, I didn't."

"Yeah. I thought you said that was like- a one of a kind thing?"

"That's what Rose said. What are you getting at?"

"Nothing." Dean shrugged.

"What?"

"I bumped into Cas before."

"Oh, yeah?"

"And when I asked him where you where, he said- well, he said that you were with your mother, Tor."

"My mother?" I asked, a strange feeling filling my chest. "Are you saying that Liz is my Mom?"

"I don't know."

"It's just weird...you know? I mean, it's one thing for me to be brought back...it's my Mom and Dad...but why you, too?"

"Maybe whatever we're supposed to stop...you need me."

"I'm sure I will. It's just...yeah."

"Dean, you realize what you're saying right?"

"What?"

"If Liz was- was my mother-" I barely choked out, trying to focus on the fact that it was impossible. "That would make us cousins."

Dean stared down at me for a second, the realization of that fact setting in. "Oh. Oh, ew."

"Yeah."

"Oh, god..."

"Yup." I nodded.

" _Kissing cousins_." Dean chuckled. "Literally."

"Oh, you're gross." I laughed, shaking my head as we ducked into a few bushes in front lawn while John and Mary pulled up. They kissed in the car, Mary shooting him a smile as he drove off.

Dean and I stepped back out as she approached, taking a deep breath. "Listen, I'm not sure you should come in."

"You can trust us." Dean told her. "I mean, come on, we're all hunters, right? I mean, we're- we're practically family."

"Yeah, thing is, my Dad...he's a little, um-"

"Oh, I gotta meet him."

"You've heard of him?"

"Clearly not enough." Dean sighed as Mary led us up the porch steps and inside the house where Liz was waiting at the bottom of the steps, a smile on her lips when she saw us.

"I knew you'd come."

"Couldn't stay away." I mumbled, looking at her in a different light now that I had what Dean had said lingering in my mind. Our eyes, although different colors, were the same shape. Our face structure was exactly the same, though her lips were a bit fuller than mine.

"Well, brace yourselves."

"Mom? Dad?" Mary called as we made our way into the dining room, finding a balding man sitting at the table.

He glanced up at us, immediately on alert. "Who's this?"

"Dad, this is Tori and Dean." Liz announced. "They're hunters."

"What?"

"It's true. They are." Mary nodded.

"Right." He nodded, staring over Dean. "Well, tell me something, _mister hunter_ , you kill vampires with wooden stakes?"

"No. You cut their heads off." Dean replied confidently.

The man nodded, looking over to me. "And how do you kill a shapeshifter?"

"Anything sharp and pure silver. Bullets, preferably." I said, seeing Mary and Liz smiling proudly out of the corner of my eye.

"So, did we pass your test?" Dean asked.

"Yup." He nodded. "Now get out of my house."

"Dad!" Mary and Liz exclaimed.

"I don't trust other hunters. I don't want their help. I don't want them around my family."

"Knock it off, Samuel." An older woman said, walking into the room with a few plates in her hand, setting them on the table.

"They're hunters."

"Who passed your little pop quiz, and now I am inviting him to dinner." She said, looking up at us with a smile. "Are you two hungry?"

Dean smiled. "Starving."

"Good. I'm Deanna, you've met my husband Samuel. Now wash up." She said, heading back into the kitchen.

"Samuel and Deanna?" Dean asked, glancing over at Mary, who nodded.

"... _Deanna_." I mumbled, glancing up to Dean with a grin as he let out an exasperated sigh.

* * *

After we washed our hands and help set the table, we were all sitting around, Samuel and Deanna at the heads of the table with Dean and I sitting next to each other and across from Mary and Liz. Seeing Mary in person, I noticed how much Dean actually looked like her. It was hard to stop my eyes from tearing up.

"First time in Lawrence?" Deanna asked, looking over to Dean and I.

"Well, it's been a while." I replied.

"Things sure have changed... I think." Dean added.

"You working a job?" Samuel asked.

"Yeah, maybe."

"What's that mean?"

"It means I don't trust other hunters either, Samuel."

"Hey, um, so why were you following me and John?" Mary asked, quickly chancing the subject.

"Uh, I thought something was after your, um, boyfriend, but I don't think that anymore."

"John Winchester mixing it up with spirits? Sure." Liz joked, gaining an elbow to the ribs from Mary, who glared over at Samuel.

"I saw that."

"What?" He asked.

"That sour lemon look."

"Now hold on, John's a really, really nice... _naive_ civilian."

"So what? You'd rather me be with a guy like this?" Mary asked, nodding over to Dean.

"What?" Dean asked around a mouthful of food, his eyes wide. "No, no. No."

"Mary, of course not, it's just that I-"

"That's enough, both of you." Deanna scolded. "We have company."

"So what about you, Samuel?" I asked. "You working a job?"

"Might be."

"He's working a job on the Whitshire Farm." Liz announced, gaining a glare from Samuel.

"Whitshire...why does that name sound familiar to me?" Dean asked.

"Well, it's been all over the papers." Samuel said. "Tom Whitshire. Got tangled up in a combine a few towns over."

"That kind of thing happens."

"So why was he on it in the first place when his crops are all dead?"

"Demonic omens?" I asked.

"That's what I gotta find out."

"Did you find anything on the web…of information that you have assembled." Dean added quickly, glancing over at me with a wide-eyed look.

"Electrical storms maybe." Deanna shrugged. "The weather service graphs should be here on Friday."

"By mail?"

"No, we hired a jet liner to fly them to us overnight." Samuel mumbled sarcastically.

"You know, it sounds to me like we might be hunting the same thing. If we go in there in numbers, we could take care of this real quick."

"What part of _we work alone_ do you not understand, son?"

* * *

As Dean and I exited Beth Whitshire's home, we came face to face with Samuel, who was standing on her porch, looking surprised to see us dressed as a priest and nun.

"Father, Sister...I see you beat me here."

"The Lord is funny that way." Dean chuckled. "Beth Whitshire, this is my associate, our senior, senior priest, Father Chaney."

"Please accept our deepest condolences on behalf of the county diocese."

"Thank you." Beth nodded.

"Mrs. Whitshire was just telling us all about Tom, and how normal and ordinary things were the day before his death." Dean explained.

"I see, so you didn't notice anything unusual, ma'am?"

"You mean like my husband's guts fertilizing the back forty?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Samuel was stunned into silence at her response, staring up at her with wide eyes.

"Excuse me." Dean patted Samuel on the back, the both of us making our way off the porch, heading over to Mary and Liz, who were speaking to a younger boy.

"Charlie, would you like to tell the Father and Sister here what you just told us?" Mary asked.

"Dad drank sometimes." Charlie muttered. "Sometimes he got rough with Mom."

"And that's when the stranger came?" Liz asked.

"I just thought he was some Bible thumper, like you all. He showed up about a week ago."

"Saying what?" Dean asked.

"Did I want the beatings to stop? I just thought he was crazy, I didn't think...and the next thing I know, Dad's dead. Am I going to jail?"

Mary shook her head. "You didn't do this, Charlie."

"Did the stranger want something in return?" I asked.

"He didn't want anything."

"Come on, Chuck, he wasn't just handing out freebies now, was he?" Dean asked.

"He did say something about comin' a callin' ten years from now. Maybe he'd want something then."

"Something like what?"

"I don't know, okay? Look, I told you he was nuts."

Mary grabbed Dean's arm, leading him away a few steps, Liz and I walking behind. "What do you think?"

"I think he just pimped his soul to a demon and doesn't even know it."

"Really?" Liz asked, looking over to me.

"Yeah." I nodded, letting out a sad sigh as Mary walked back over to him.

"Charlie, do you remember what this stranger looked like?"

"Yeah, he was about five-ten, white, normal looking really."

"Anything else?"

"There was one thing. The light hit his eyes in a weird way and...for a moment I could've sworn-"

"That they were black?" I asked. "Or red maybe?"

"No, they were yellow. Pale yellow."

Dean and I exchanged a worried look, glancing over at Mary as she stared at the boy, having no clue what that meant.

* * *

 **CAMPBELL HOME – NIGHT**

Dean slapped a large map down on the dining room table, spreading it out, looking over it as Samuel stood off to the side, his arms folded.

"What do you say we just slow down and talk this thing through?"

"There's nothing to talk about." Dean replied simply.

"Except you're saying it's a demon, and none of us has ever heard of a demon with yellow eyes."

"Yeah, well, I have. This thing killed my family."

"Just calm down, son."

"You don't get it, do you? You are in danger, we are all in danger. In fact, you need to get yourself someplace safe."

"Not until we know what we're dealing with here."

"Sam's right, Dean." Deanna said, placing a bowl of fruit salad down on the table. "It could be a demon, it could be a shapeshifter, it could be any number of things."

"I know what this thing is!" Dean exclaimed. "And I'm gonna kill it, that's all the talking I need to do."

"You're gonna kill a demon?" Samuel asked. "How?"

"There's a hunter named Daniel Elkins. He lives in Colorado, he has Colt's gun. _The_ Colt."

"Yeah, I heard about the Colt, used to tell it to Mary as a bedtime story."

"Well, it's real."

"Alright, say that it is. You got some kind of crystal ball telling you where this demon's gonna be?"

"Yeah, maybe I do." Dean said, taking out John's journal, flipping it open on the table.

"What's this?"

"It's a list. My Dad wrote down anyone he thought ever came in contact with the Yellow Eyed Demon. Who, where and when."

"Why?"

"'Cause the more he could learn about the son of a bitch, the more he could figure out why it killed my Mom." Dean said, flipping the pages. "Look, Whitshire Farm. I told you that name sounded familiar."

"Whitshire Farms, that was two days ago. How the hell is that on your Dad's list?"

"His dad could see the future." I said quickly, pointing to the page. "Look, it says he's gonna hit here tomorrow night."

"Liddy Walsh?"

"Haleyville, that's close." Dean nodded.

"I mean, yeah, it's about three miles, but..." Samuel paused, glancing over at Deanna, who shook her head slightly.  
"I know you guys think we're crazy."

"You seem like really nice kids, but yeah, you're crazy."

"Yeah, maybe, but I know where this bastard's gonna be, and I'm gonna stop it, once and for all." Dean said, grabbing the journal, walking out of the room.

I followed him, the two of us making our way out into the living room where Liz and Mary were sitting, listening to _Hey Jude_ playing quietly. I glanced up at Dean, shooting him a small smile as the music filled the room around us.

"Hey, we're heading out." I called, getting Liz and Mary's attention.

"Just wanted to say, bye." Dean added.

"Really? So soon?" Mary asked.

"Yeah. We got a job to do. Hey, I wanted to- to tell you, you know for what it's worth, it doesn't matter what your Dad thinks, I like that John kid."

"You do?"

"Yeah, I think you two are meant to be."

"See?" Liz asked, throwing an arm around Mary's shoulder. "I told you."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure." Mary nodded.

"What's he like? John."

"Why do you ask?"

"Just curious."

"I don't know. He's sweet, kind. Even after the war, after everything, he still believes in happily ever after, you know? He's everything a hunter isn't." Mary said, glancing up at us with apologetic eyes. "No offense."

"No, none taken."

"Can I tell you something?" Mary asked, looking between us.

"Sure." I nodded.

"He's gonna ask me to marry him. Tomorrow, I think!"

"Dammit, Mary!" Liz exclaimed, letting out a huff.

"What?"

"Can you ever be surprised for once in your life?"

"You knew?"

"Of course I knew. The ring is beautiful."

"That doesn't matter."

"But it is." Liz nodded, glancing over at me. "Right?"

"You saw it?" Both Mary and Dean asked in unison, staring over at me.

"Yeah." I nodded. "It's really pretty."

"Oh, Dad's gonna explode, but I don't care." Mary gushed. "I'll run away if I have to, I just I love John, and..."

"And what?"

"I wanna get out. This job, this life, I hate it. I want a family, I wanna be safe. You know the worst thing I can think of? The very worst thing? Is for my children to be raised into this like I was. I won't let it happen."

"Yeah..." Dean murmured, blinking back tears. I wrapped an arm around him, knowing he needed the comfort right now.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, no, I'm- I'm fine. Hey, uh, Mary, can I tell you something?"

"Sure."

"Even if this sounds really weird. Will you promise me that you will remember?"

"Okay."

"On November second, nineteen-eighty-three, don't get out of bed. No matter what you hear, or what you see. Promise me you won't get out of bed."

Mary exchanged a glance with Liz, looking back up to Dean as a tear ran down his cheek. "Okay."

* * *

 **ROAD – NIGHT**

Dean and I had stayed pretty quiet our whole drive, neither one of us really knowing what to say in this moment. It seemed as though there was nothing we could say. I was just confused. I didn't see any reason as to why we were back here.

Suddenly, the ringing in my ears got louder and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Castiel appear in the backseat.

"So what? God's my co-pilot, is that it?" Dean asked, getting no reply from Castiel. "Well, you're a regular Chatty Cathy. Tell me something. Sam would have wanted in on this, why not bring him back?"

"The two of you had to do this without him." Castiel muttered.

"And you don't care that he's tearing up the future looking for us right now?"

"Sam's not looking for you."

"Alright, if I do this, then the family curse breaks, right? Mom and Dad live happily ever after, and- and Sam and I grow up playing little league?"

"Would Dean and I still know each other?" I asked, not allowing Castiel to answer Dean's question.

"Yes." Castiel nodded. "You realize, if you do alter the future, your father, you, Sam, Victoria – you'll never become hunters. All those people you saved, they'll die."

Dean glanced over at me, the two of us sharing a look, silently agreeing. "I realize."

"And you don't care?"

"Oh, I care. I care a lot, but these are my parents. I'm not gonna let them die again. I can't. No, not if I can stop it."

"Is Elizabeth my mother?" I asked suddenly before Castiel had the chance to leave.

"...yes."

"Oh my god." I mumbled, my eyes widening as I looked up to Dean.

"There are many things you don't know about her."

"Yeah, no shit. I know nothing!"

"Elizabeth's parents were killed." Castiel said, looking as though he was hiding a bigger part of the story. "The Campbells took care of her."

I couldn't wrap my head around all this information, rubbing my temples. "Is she- is she still alive? In the present?"

"No."

"If we killed the demon, would she live?"

"...no. Her death had nothing to do with the yellow-eyed demon." Castiel replied. Dean glanced over at me, a sad look in his eyes. I swallowed hard, nodding.

"But Mary and John, they'll live?" I asked, looking back at Castiel, seeing that I wasn't going to get a straight answer. "Elizabeth said she knew you."

"She did."

"How?" I asked, looking back to see that he was gone. "Fucking..."

"Are you okay?" Dean asked, glancing over at me.

"No." I mumbled, resting my head on the window, watching the trees pass by.

The only comfort I got out of any of this was the fact that Mary and John would live...and Dean and I would still know each other. We could still be together, even in a different future.

* * *

 **ELKINS HOME – DAY**

After a long night of driving, we finally reached Daniel Elkin's home, making our way inside to the knife that contained the Colt, both of us pulling it out. I opened the safe, peering into it to see the Colt sitting there. Dean took it, holding it gently in his hands.

"Hold it right there, friend. Drop the gun, be on your way." A man's voice called behind us.

Dean pretended to lay the Colt on top of the safe, but quickly turned, pointing it at Daniel. "Can't do it, Daniel."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Hunters, just like yourself."

"Thief's more like it."

"We just need it for a few days."

"Not happening."

"Look, I have a chance to save my family's lives. My family. But I need this gun to do it." Dean said, lowering the Colt walking slowly past Daniel towards the door with me behind him. "There's some hunters in Lawrence, the Campbells."

"Never heard of them."

"That's where she'll be."

* * *

 **WALSH'S HOME – NIGHT**

Dean burst through the door, the Colt drawn. We stepped inside in just enough time to see the Yellow-eyed demon holding Samuel and my Mom against the wall. When he noticed us, he quickly pulled Mary in front of him, using her as a shield.

"Let her go!"

"Where'd you get that gun?" Yellow eyes asked. Dean cocked the Colt, nodding for Mary to get out of the way. Just as she did so, yellow-eyes threw his head back, black smoke pouring from his mouth, exiting through a vent in the wall.

The four of us made our way outside, leaving Samuel inside to check on Liddy.

Liz kept an arm wrapped around Mary's shoulders as we went, stepping out onto the front lawn. I could tell Dean was upset, not having done what he wanted to. But I'm sure we'd get another chance. We had to, right?

"What did he say to you?" Dean asked.

"That he liked me." Mary muttered, looking up at Dean with fear in her eyes as Liz hugged her tighter. "What did he mean by that?"

Dean looked down, not knowing how to respond to that. Samuel walked back outside, making his way over to us. "Liddy's a strong kid, she'll be fine. Are you okay?"

"No, Dad, I'm pretty far from okay. Can we go?" Mary asked, turning to walk to the truck. Liz shot us an apologetic look, following Mary.

"Nice job in there."

"I missed the shot."

"Take the compliment, son. I'm saying that I was wrong about you."

"We need to talk. Alone." Dean said.

* * *

Once we got back to the Campbell house, Samuel told Mary and Liz to stay outside while we spoke, ushering us into the dining room again.

"We have to kill this thing now, or Mary dies." Dean said, getting to the point.

"What?" Samuel asked. "How do you know that?"

"I just do, okay?"

"When?"

"I don't know, maybe today. Probably years from now, but it's happening, trust me."

"So what, are you some kind of a psychic now, too?"

"No. Alright, listen to me." Dean sighed, sitting down. "Now, this is gonna sound a little- actually it's gonna sound massively, massively crazy."

"Okay."

"Mary is my mother."

"Excuse me?" Samuel asked, looking at Dean in disbelief.

"And I am your grandson, and I know what the hell I'm talking about."

"You wanna run that by me again, son?"

"My real name is Dean Winchester. I was born January twenty-forth, nineteen-seventy-nine. My parents are Mary and John Winchester."

"I don't have to listen to this." Samuel said, standing to his feet.

"Please, you have to." I interjected. "This is all true."

"Mary gets killed by a yellow eyed demon in nineteen-eighty-three, and I think that this – what happened tonight – I think this is the moment that he caught her scent." Dean said, his eyes pleading. "Now, if we don't catch this thing now, and kill it, and it gets away? Then Mary dies. So I am asking you, please."

"This is bullshit-"

"How did I know about the Colt? Huh? How did I know about the Yellow Eyed Demon? Or where it would be? I'm not making this up, Samuel."

"Every bone in my body is aching to put you six feet under, but there's something about you...I can't shake it. Now, I may be crazier than you, son, but I believe you."

"Thank you." Dean nodded, the relief clear in his voice.

"I mean, how do we find this bastard?"

"Right here, the list."

"And with the Colt?" Samuel asked, watching as Dean pulled the Colt out. I suddenly got a weird feeling from him, something inside telling me to not trust him.

"Yeah."

"Here, let me see it."

"No." I said, shaking my head.

Dean glanced back at me, nodding in agreement before turning to Samuel. "Sorry, I don't let anybody hold it."

"I'm your grandfather." Samuel muttered.

"Nothing personal."

"Sure it is, especially when it's me you're trying to kill." Samuel said, his eyes turning yellow.

Suddenly, the chair that Dean was sitting in flew across the room, slamming up against the wall. Dean struggled against the invisible grip, not able to move. With a flick of his wrist, yellow-eyes pushed me against the opposite wall, holding me there as he walked over to Dean.

"Future kids, huh? I only know one thing that's got the juice to swing something like that. You must have friends in high places. Tell me, where are they now?" He asked, looking at me strangely before turning back to Dean, his voice taunting. "So, I kill your Mommy? That's why you came all this way? To see little old me?"

"Oh, I came here to kill you."

"Hey, wait a minute, if that slut Mary's your Mommy, are you- are you one of my psychic kids?" He asked, leaning down to sniff Dean, shaking his head as he stood upright, walking over to me. "What about you?"

"Get away from her!"

Yellow-eyes ignored Dean, bending down, pulling in a deep breath by my neck, stepping back to stare down at me. "Well, aren't you different? There's something inside of you. Something…but not what I'm looking for. Maybe either one of you have a sis, or a bro. That's terrific, means it all worked out. After all, it's why I'm here."

"So that's what this is about?" I asked. "These deals you're making...you don't want these people's souls."

"No, I just want their children. I'm here to choose the perfect parents, like his Mommy."

"Why her? Why any of them?"

"Because they're strong. They're pure, and they eat their Wheaties. My own little master race. They're ideal breeders." He said, rolling his eyes at the looks we gave. "Oh, get your mind out of the gutter. No one's breeding with me. Though, Mary? Man, I'd like to make an exception. So far, she's my favorite."

A furious look crossed Dean's face as she tried to move, but couldn't, still held in place. "You fucking-"

"And little Elizabeth? If only her bloodline wasn't so fucked up." Yellow-eyes muttered, turning to me. "She would be perfect, too. That sweet little angel."

"So why make the deals?" Dean asked, calling his attention back.

"I need permission. I need to be invited, into their houses. I know, I know, the- the red tape will drive you nuts, but in ten short years, it'll all be worth it. 'Cause you know what I'm gonna do to your sibling? I'm gonna stand over their crib and I'm gonna bleed into their mouth. Demon blood is better than Ovaltine, vitamins, minerals – it makes you big and strong."

"For what? So they can lead your discount demon army? Is that your big plan?"

"Please, my end game's a hell of a lot bigger than that kid."

"End game? What end game?"

"Like I'm gonna tell you, or those angels sitting on your shoulder. No, I'm gonna cover my tracks good."

"You can cover whatever the hell you want, but I'm still gonna kill you." Dean threatened, his voice full of anger.

"Right. Now that, I'd like to see."

"Maybe not today, but you look into my eyes, you son of a bitch, 'cause I'm the one that kills you."  
"So, you're gonna save everybody, is that right? Well, I'll tell you one person that you're not gonna save." He smiled, taking a knife, winking at Dean before plunging it into his stomach.

"No!" Deanna cried.

Yellow-eyes turned, sending her flying back, the sick sound of her neck breaking echoing through the kitchen. As he was distracted, Dean and I both got free, rushing into the kitchen to see Deanna lying dead on the ground and yellow-eyes gone. I heard quiet sobs coming from the small storage space underneath the staircase, making my way over, opening the door slowly to see Liz curled up inside, tears running down her cheeks.

"Is it true? Everything he said?" She asked, looking over at Dean and I as I helped her out.

"Yeah." I nodded.

"Mary's going to- to die in ten years? And you- you're her son?" Liz asked, watching as Dean nodded. "Are you her daughter?"

"No." I mumbled, shaking my head, tears in my eyes. I didn't care what this did, what this unraveled. I'd never get the chance to see her again, to say this to her. "I'm yours."

"What?"

"I know you probably think it's crazy." I nodded. "But, an angel-"

"Castiel?"

"Yeah. How do you- how do you know him?"

"I have for a while. He's been with me for a few years."

"Well, he told me about you."

"Oh my god." She murmured, a small smile on her face, breaking through the sadness there as she pulled me in for a hug. I wrapped my arms around her, burying my face in the crook of her neck.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dean watching us, a mixture of sadness and happiness in his eyes. I pulled back from Liz, remembering why we were here and what we needed to do. "Do you know where Mary went?"

"Yeah. Her and John went to the river. Is that thing going after her now?"

"Yes."

"Holy shit." Liz exclaimed, heading over to the door. "We have to go, I'll take you there."

* * *

My heart sank as we pulled up behind the Impala, seeing Mary on the ground, holding John, who appeared to be dead, in her arms. Dean and I quickly jumped out of the car, trying to close the large gap between us as yellow-eyes bent down. Before we could reach them, Mary kissed him, sealing the deal.

Suddenly, black smoke flew out of the demon's mouth, sending his body falling to the ground as John sucked in a deep breath, looking up with wide eyes. "Mary?"

"John."

Just then, Castiel appeared beside Dean and I, glancing back at Liz, who seemed to know who he was just by looking at him, though there was no way this was the same vessel he had back then. Castiel placed a hand on mine and Dean's shoulders, bringing us back to the present.

My eyes snapped open and I found myself laying next to Dean on the bed, still wearing Liz's clothes.

Dean gasped next to me, waking up as well, looking around with sad eyes. "We couldn't stop any of it. She still made the deal. She still died in the nursery, didn't she?"

"Don't be too hard on yourself. You couldn't have stopped it." Castiel replied.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Destiny can't be changed, Dean. All roads lead to the same destination."

"Then why'd you send us back?" I asked.

"For the truth. Now you know everything we do."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dean asked, he and I following Castiel's gaze to Sam's bed, which was empty. "Where's Sam?"

"We know what Azazel did to your brother. What we don't know is why. What his endgame is. He went to great lengths to cover that up."

"Where is Sam?" Dean repeated.

"Four-twenty-five Waterman." Castiel said as Dean and I grabbed our jackets, heading for the door. "Your brother is headed down a dangerous road. We're not sure where it leads. So, stop it. Or we will."

I felt a chill run down my spine at his words, taking one last glance back at him to see that he was completely serious before Dean and I left, going to find Sam.

* * *

 **Not gonna lie, this chapter didn't come out 100% like I would've wanted, but I totally forgot it came so soon in s4, so I wasn't prepared at all. Still, I just wanted to put it up lol**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Twitter: phoenixwrites79  
Instagram: phoenixwritesfanfiction**


	7. Metamorphosis

_Walking in the dark  
Narrow hallways, all I see  
This static in my heart  
Is bringing out the worst in me  
_…

 _I look up to the light  
And feel the sky is opening  
I need a steady heart  
To even out the frequency  
_…

 _Don't let me slide  
Slip down this well of lies  
It's dark inside  
Inside this well of lies _

_**Flyleaf – Well of Lies**_

* * *

After finding the address Castiel had told us about, Dean and I crept up to the abandoned building, peering inside the window to see Sam and Ruby standing in front of a man, who was tied to a chair in the middle of a devil's trap.

"Where's Lilith?" Sam asked.

"Kiss my ass." The demon spat.

"I'd watch myself if I were you." Sam threatened

"Why? Huh? Because you're Sam Winchester, Mr. Big Hero? And yet here you are, slutting around with some demon. Real hero."

"Shut your mouth."

"Tell me about those months without your brother. Without your sister to keep you on the straight and narrow. About all the things you and this demon bitch do in the dark. Huh? Tell me, hero."

Suddenly, Sam narrowed his eyes a the demon, the black smoke being forced out of the man without him having to say anything. Dean and I watched in shock and disbelief as the demon's smoke completely left the man, burning through the floor.

"How'd it feel?" Ruby asked.

"Good. No more headaches." Sam nodded, untying the man.

"None? That's good."

Dean stalked over to the door, kicking it in, clearly fuming. Sam and Ruby both looked up in shock as Dean moved inside, anger rolling off of him in waves. "So...anything you wanna tell me, Sam?"

"Dean, hold on, okay?" Sam asked. "Just let me-"

"You gonna say, let me explain? You're gonna explain this? How about this? Why don't you start with who she is, and what the hell is she doing here?"

"It's good to see you again, Dean." Ruby smiled.

"Ruby?" Dean asked, looking back to Sam. "Is that Ruby?"

Suddenly, Dean grabbed Ruby's shoulders, shoving her up against the wall, pulling out her knife. Just before he could stab her, Sam grabbed his arm, holding him back. The two struggled for the knife for a moment before Sam took it just as Dean pushed him against the wall.

Just then, Ruby grabbed Dean's pinning him against the wall. I quickly moved over to Sam, catching him off guard as I grabbed the knife out of his hand, standing behind Ruby, placing the knife to her throat.

"Don't!" Sam exclaimed.

"Let him go, or you're dead." I hissed, pressing the blade harder against her neck. I felt Ruby swallow hard underneath it, she let go of Dean's throat, stepping back with me. Out of nowhere, I felt Sam grab my arms, pulling the blade out of my hands as he did so. "Let me go!"

"Just stop!"

"Why?" I asked, glancing back at him as Ruby glared at Dean. "I swear to god, if you touch him again-"

"Ruby." Sam called, his voice hard. Ruby looked back, listening right away.

"Well, aren't you an obedient little bitch." Dean commented, gaining another glare from Ruby.

"Ruby, he's hurt."

Ruby glanced back at Sam, looking over to the man that was sitting in the chair, waking up slowly. She looked back to Dean, letting out a heavy breath before turning to the injured man, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, helping him to his feet.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Dean asked.

"The ER. Unless you want to go another round first." Ruby replied, glancing over at me. "You have a lot of nerve coming in here like you didn't know about any of this."

Dean's eyes widened at her words and he immediately looked over at me, his brow furrowed. "What?"

"I didn't."

"Sure you didn't." Ruby muttered as she left.

"What is she talking about?" Dean asked.

"Dean-"

"You knew about this? You knew he was doing this!?"

"No!" I exclaimed, watching as Dean turned without another word, slamming the door shut as he left. I shrugged out of Sam's arms.

"Tori-"

"Save it." I snapped, pulling the knife out of his hand with a glare, leaving the abandoned house.

Once outside, I looked around to see that the Impala was gone. Dean left, and I really couldn't blame him. I just wish he'd let me explain, not that it would do a lot of good right now. Through he probably expected me to ride back to the motel with Sam. But I wasn't about to do that.

I heard Sam walk out behind me, stopping when he saw the empty parking lot, aside from his car. "Dean's gone."

"No shit."

"You can ride back to the motel with me."

"I'd rather not."

"What? How will you get back?"

"I'll be fine." I said, starting to walk down to the end of the property.

"Tori, come on."

"I told you not to do this, Sam."

"What is so bad about what I'm doing?!" He exclaimed.

"If you have to ask, I don't even want to waste my time telling you." I said, glancing back at him. "But there's one thing I will say. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow…but one way or another, Ruby will end up dead. And you can bet your ass I'll be the one to do it."

* * *

I pulled my jacket a little tighter around myself as the cold air whipped around me, blowing my hair into my face. My mind didn't seem to stop working as I went over what I was going to say to Dean a million times. I just hoped he'd give me the chance to explain myself. Sam didn't give me an option to stay and help him. I didn't know what I was supposed to do.

Suddenly, the ringing in my eyes got pushed to the forefront and I looked up to see Castiel walking next to me out of the corner of my eye. I let out a small yelp, jumping back slightly at his sudden appearance.

"Jesus! You could give a girl some warning. What do you want? Because I've had a tough day, so unless you can zap be back to the motel, I don't want to hear anything."

"...alright." Castiel nodded, placing a hand on my forehead.

"What the- wh- what?" I asked, looking around to see that I was in the motel parking lot.

"This is what you asked for isn't it?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Then there you go."

"Right." I nodded, placing a hand on my chest as my heart beat erratically. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"I suppose."

"Can angels see the future?"

"Not really."

"Okay."

"Why?"

"I just- it's stupid but...I wanted to know if Dean would forgive me for all this."

Castiel stared at me for a long moment, looking down to the ground before meeting my eyes again. "I think so."

"If you can't see the future, what makes you say that?"

"...because he cares for you."

"Yeah." I smiled, seeing the Impala pull up and when I turned back, Castiel was gone.

I walked over to the car as Dean started to get out, shooting me a hard look. "Where's Sam?"

"I don't know."

"How'd you get back here so fast? You didn't walk, did you?"

"No. Castiel."

"What? He gave you a lift back here?"

"Angels are better than taxi's. Who knew?" I shrugged, following him as he made his way over to the door. "Dean-"

"Not right now."

"Just let me explain."

"What is there to explain?"

"A lot." I said, grabbing for his arm. He quickly shook my hand off, turning around to face me. "You don't understand-"

"How could you let him do that?"

"I didn't know he was doing that."

"But you knew something."

"So you believe Ruby all of the sudden?" I snapped, getting fed up with him not even trying to hear me out.

"Well, you didn't argue with her."

"Listen, you have no idea what things were like while you were gone, okay? Sam started drinking. A lot. He was worse than you and Bobby combined. I had to do everything just to try and keep both of our heads above water. I wanted to give up so many times..." I muttered, my voice trailing off. "But I didn't. Because I knew you'd be disappointed in me if I did. I knew I'd be disappointed in me, too. And I knew Sam needed me. But Ruby showed up, she told Sam that he could kill Lilith if he went along with her and started using his powers again. I tried to convince him not to, but he didn't listen. And he didn't give me an option. I had to leave. I didn't want to see him like that...especially when I didn't have you anymore. I swear to you, I didn't know him using his powers would mean he could exorcise demons with his _mind_. I had no clue. But there was nothing I could've done, Dean. You Winchester's are fucking stubborn. Believe me, I wish things were different."

Dean nodded, turning around, starting to throw some of his stuff into a bag without saying another word.

I watched him for a moment, letting out a breath. "Do you forgive me?"

"...yeah."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Then what are you doing?"

"Packing my shit."

"You're leaving?" I asked, my heart dropping.

" _We're_ leaving." Dean said, throwing an empty duffel bag into my hands.

"But Sam-"

"Can take care of himself."

"Dean, he needs us."

"For what? He has Ruby, he has his freaky powers, that's all he seems to need."

"Dean-"

"You left him before, you can do it again."

"Don't say that." I snapped. "That's not fair. I told you, I didn't have another choice. It was either watch Sam give into his powers, or keep trying to get you back. I'm sorry, but I had to choose the second one."

"I know." Dean nodded, glancing back at me, an apologetic look breaking through his anger, that had subsided slightly. "I didn't mean it that way, okay?"

Just then, Sam walked in, seeing Dean putting more stuff into a bag. "What, are you- are you guys leaving?"

"You don't need us. You and Ruby go fight demons."

"Hold on. Come on, man." Sam called, walking up behind his brother. Suddenly, Dean turned around, his anger back in full force as he punched Sam hard in the face.

"Dean!" I called, getting in between the two of them as Dean fumed.

"You satisfied?" Sam asked, wiping blood from his lip.

Dean threw his bag on the ground, clearly furious. He smacked the lamp off the nightstand, sending it crashing to the ground. I placed a hand on his chest, pushing him back slightly. "Dean, calm down. Please."

"Do you even know how far off the reservation you've gone? How far from normal? From human?" Dean asked his brother.

"I'm just exorcising demons."

"With your fucking mind!" Dean exclaimed, stepping towards Sam slightly. "What else can you do?"

"I can send them back to hell. It only works with demons, and that's it."

Out of nowhere, Dean pushed me to his side, grabbing Sam's jacket, shouting at him. "What else can you do?!"

"I told you!" Sam exclaimed, pushing Dean away as I pulled him back.

"And I have every reason in the world to believe that."

"Look, I should have said something." Sam muttered, glancing over at me. "I'm sorry, Dean. I am. But try to see the other side here.

"The other side?" Dean asked incredulously.

"I'm pulling demons out of innocent people."

"Use the exorcism!"

"This way is faster! Look, I've saved more people in the last five months than we save in a year."

"Is that what Ruby wants you to think? Huh? Kind of like the way she tricked you into using your powers?"

"She didn't trick me."

"Oh, she didn't?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow. "Tori's got a much different story. And you know what? I believe her."

"Of course you do?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. "That I'm lying?"

"He'll always believe you."

"Because I know she's telling the truth." Dean said. "Slippery slope, brother. Just wait and see. Because it's gonna get darker and darker, and God knows where it ends."

"I'm not gonna let it go too far."

"It's already gone too far, Sam. If I didn't you know...I would wanna hunt you. And so would other hunters."

"You were gone." Sam said, looking up with tearful eyes. "I was here. I had to keep on fighting without you. And what I'm doing...it works."

"You and Tori were together, you were fighting. You were getting along just fine before that bitch showed up."

"That's not true."

"Tell me. If this is so terrific, then why'd you lie about it to me? Why did an angel tell us to stop you?"

"What?" Sam asked, surprised.

"Cas said that if we don't stop you, he will. See what that means, Sam? That means that God doesn't want you doing this. So, are you just gonna stand there and tell me everything is all good?" Dean asked, tears forming in his own eyes.

Just then, Sam's phone rang, the shrill sound cutting through the silence before he answered it.

"Hello? Hey, Travis. Yeah, hey. It's good to hear your voice, too, yeah. Um, look, it's not a really good time right now. Yeah, okay. Uh, well, just give me the details." Sam muttered, going over to the nightstand to retrieve a pad and pen. "Carthage, Missouri. Looking for Jack Montgomery."

* * *

 **ROAD – NIGHT**

After a good amount of silence had filled the car, Sam had asked us what happened with us last night. Dean and I went through the whole thing, from start to finish. I glanced back at Sam, seeing a shocked look on his face.

"I can't believe it. Our Mom's knew each other."

"They were like sisters." I muttered.

"And they were hunters."

"I wouldn't have believed it either if I hadn't seen it myself." Dean said. "Mom could kick some ass. I mean, she almost took me down."

"How'd she look? I mean...was she happy?"

"Yeah, she was awesome. Funny and smart. So hopeful." Dean said, glancing over at his brother in the backseat. "Dad, too. Until of course…" Sam nodded, letting out a sigh. "What?"

"It's just, our parents. And now we find out our grandparents, too? Our whole family murdered, and for what? So Yellow Eyes could get in my nursery and bleed in my mouth?"

Dean looked over at me, the both of us sharing a suspicious look before turning to Sam. "I never said anything about demon blood."

"Oh." Sam mumbled, looking guilty.

"You knew about that?" I asked.

"Yeah, for about a year."

"A whole year?" Dean asked.

"I should have told you. I'm sorry."

"You've been saying that a lot lately, Sam. But whatever. You don't want to tell us, you don't have to. It's fine." Dean shrugged it off, staring back at the road, his jaw clenched.

"Dean." Sam called, realizing after a moment that Dean wasn't about to talk anymore. "Whatever."

* * *

 **CARTHAGE, MISSOURI – DAY  
Montgomery Residence **

After our long drive, we were now stationed out in front of a normal looking suburban home, peering into a kitchen window with a couple pares of binoculars. A dark-haired man stood in front of a refrigerator, peering inside.

"Are you sure that's him?" Dean asked.

"Only Jack Montgomery in town." Sam replied.

"And we're looking for…?"

"Travis said to keep an eye out for anything weird."

"Weird?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, well, yeah, I've seen big weird, little weird, weird with crazy on top. But this guy? I mean, come on, this guy's boring."

"I don't know, Dean. Travis seemed pretty sure."

Through the binoculars, I watched as Jack took a swig of his beer, grabbing some leftover chicken, beginning to eat it frantically, shoving large pieces in his mouth, tears huge chucks off with his teeth until there were only clean bones left, throwing them aside before grabbing a pack of uncooked meet, shoving handfuls into his mouth. The three of us lowered our binoculars, staring over at the scene in front of us with disgust.

"I'd say that qualifies as weird." Sam mumbled, shooting me a look.

 **MOTEL – DAY**

Once we'd have enough of watching Jack pound down more raw meet, we made our way back to the motel. I went inside first, a small smile appearing on my face as I saw the older, bald man sitting at the table, a beer in his hand.

"Well, well, well." Travis mumbled, looking up at me. "You still holding up alright in this life?"

"Oh, I am. Much better than you, apparently." I commented, nodding to the cast on his arm.

"Smartass." He commented, walking over, pulling me into a hug. "Get over here."

Travis was one of the only other hunters that didn't give me a lot of shit back when I first joined the Winchester's. And whether that had to do with John and Bobby threatening him or not, I'll never know.

Travis broke away from me, giving each of the boys a hug. "Good to see you."

"You too." Dean smiled.

"Man, you got tall, kid." Travis commented, holding the tops of Sam's arms. "How long has it been?"

"Gotta be a good ten years." Sam replied.

"You still a mathlete?"

"No."

Dean grinned. "Yup, sure is."

"Been too long. I mean, look at you. Grown adults. John would have been damn proud of you, sticking together like this."

"Yeah, we're as thick as thieves. Nothing more important than family." Dean said, following Travis back over to the table, sitting in front of him. I glanced up at Sam, seeing a sad look on his face.

"So, you track down Montgomery?"

"We found him at his home." I replied as Sam and I sat on the edge of the bed.

"And?"

"Well, he had a hell of a case of the munchies, topped off with a burger he forgot to cook." Dean muttered.

"That's him alright."

"What's him?"

"We got a rugaru on our hands."

"A _rugaru_ ? Is that made up?" Dean asked, glancing over at me. "That sounds made up."

"They're mean, nasty little suckers." Travis explained. "Rotted teeth, wormy skin, the works."

"Well, that ain't this guy. I mean, he was wearing a cellphone on his belt."

"He'll turn ugly soon enough. They start out human, for all intents and purposes."

"So, what?" Sam asked. "They go through some kind of metamorphosis?"

"Like a maggot turning into a bull fly. But most of all, they're hungry."

"Hungry for what?"

"At first, for everything, but then...for long pig."

"Long pig?" Dean asked, his brow furrowed.

"Human flesh." I explained, sharing a disgusted look with him.

"And that is my word of the day."

"Hunger grows in, until they can't fight it. Until they got to take themselves a big, juicy chomp, and then it happens."

"What happens?" I asked.

"They transform completely and fast. One bite's all it takes. Eyes, teeth, skin – all turns. No going back either. They feed once, they're a monster forever. And our man Jack's headed there on a bullet train."

"Well, how'd you find this guy if he's a walking, talking human?" Dean asked.

"Let's just say it runs in his family."

Sam nodded, letting out a breath. "You mean, uh…"

"Killed his daddy back in seventy-eight. Son of a bitch mangled eight bodies before I put him down. Guy used to be a dentist. Cadillac, trophy wife...little did I know, _pregnant_ trophy wife. She put the boy up for adoption. By the time I found out, he was long gone, lost in the system."

"You mean to tell me you couldn't find someone?"

"I'm not sure I wanted to. The idea of hunting down some poor kid...I don't think I'd have the heart. No. I wanted to wait, make damn sure I had the right man. Apparently, I do." Travis muttered, taking a swig of his beer.

* * *

Not too long after that, Sam had gone out to get some more information on Jack Montgomery while Dean, Travis and I stayed behind, fashioning small fire extinguishers into flamethrowers.

If someone told me back when I was twelve that this is what I'd be doing at twenty six, I would've laughed right in their face, that's for sure.

"So, you two kids are finally together, huh?"

"What?" Dean asked, glancing up at Travis from across the able.

"How long has that been going on?"

"How'd you know?"

"Well, I may be old, but I'm not blind." Travis laughed. "How long?"

"Like seven years." I said.

" _Seven_?" Travis asked, his eyes going wide. "Wow."

"Yeah."

"How'd John take it?"

Dean and I shared a glance, both of us shrugging as I looked back to Travis. "Well, he didn't really know the first year."

"You managed to keep something like that from one of the best hunters out there?"

"Two, really." Dean muttered. "Bobby didn't know either."

"Well, I'll be…you kids must be pretty sneaky."

"I guess so."

"John kind of eased up on us about it eventually." I said. "As long as we didn't let it affect the job."

"You know, underneath everything, John was a good man."

"Yeah." I nodded, sharing a look with Dean, the both of us remembering John in his younger years, something we, weirdly enough, could say we had experienced.

"So fire, huh?" Dean asked, changing the subject.

"The only way I found to kill these bastards." Travis nodded. "Deep-fry 'em."

"Well, that's gonna be horrible." I mumbled. "Is that what you did to Jack's dad?"

"Uh-huh."

"Not wasting any time, are you?" Sam asked, walking back into the room, a small stack of papers in hand.

"None to waste. The guy hulks out, we won't be finding bodies, just remains."

"What if he doesn't hulk out? I did a little homework. I've been checking out the lore on rougarous."

"What? My thirty years of experience not good enough for you?" Travis asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What? No. No, I just wanted to be prepared. I mean, not that you didn't-"

"Sam loves research. He does. He keeps it under his mattress right next to his KY. It's a sickness." Dean interjected, gaining a glare from his brother. "It is."

"Look, everything you said checked out, of course, but uh, I found a couple of interesting stories about people who have this rougarou gene or whatever. See, they start to turn, but they never take the final step."

"Really?" I asked, taking a few of the papers from him.

"See, if they never eat human flesh, they don't fully transform."

"So what?" Dean asked. "Go vegan, stay human?"

"Basically. Or in this case, eat a lot of raw meat, just not..."

"Long pig."

"Right."

"Good on you for the due diligence, Sam." Travis muttered, getting up to pour himself another cup of coffee. "Fact is, every rougarou I ever saw or heard of, took that bite."

"Okay, well, that doesn't mean that Jack will."

"So what do we do? Sit and hope and wait for a body count?"

"No, we talk to him. Explain what's happening. That way he can fight it."

"Fight it?" Travis laughed. "Are you kidding me? You ever been really hungry? I mean, haven't-eaten-in-days hungry?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded.

"All the time." I added, glancing over at him with a small grin, shaking my head.

"Right, then. So somebody slaps a big, juicy sirloin in front of you, you walking away?" Travis asked. Dean thought it over for a moment, raising his eyebrows in a silent _no. "_ That's what we are to him now, meat on legs. I'm sorry. I'm sure he's a stand-up guy, but it's pure, base instinct. Everything in nature's gotta eat. You think he can stop himself 'cause he's nice?"

"I don't know. But we're not gonna kill him unless he does something to get killed for." Sam said, his voice hard and serious. Dean and I watched him as he turned and left, seeing Travis staring at him with a puzzled look.

"What's up with your brother?"

"Don't get me started." Dean sighed.

"Come on, let's go." I said, walking over to the door.

"Go where?"

"To talk to Jack."

"You're kidding."

"Dean."

"Fine." Dean sighed, grabbing his jacket as he walked over to me. Over his shoulder, I saw a small grin on Travis's face as he watched us.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing. See you kids later."

* * *

 **ROAD – DAY**

Outside, we found Sam waiting by the Impala, wanting to go speak to Jack as soon as possible. I couldn't say I disagreed with him, which is why we were driving through the Montgomery's neighborhood.

"Alright, so we're gonna go have a little chat with this guy, which, you know...I'm down." Dean said, glancing over at Sam, who just stared out the window at the passing trees. "But I just want to make sure, if push comes, you're gonna shove."

"Meaning?" Sam asked, not looking at his brother.

"Well, odds are we're gonna have to burn this guy alive."

"This guy has a name and a wife."

"Yeah, who we're probably gonna make a widow, okay? I mean, you heard Travis. He's gonna turn. They always turn."

"Well, maybe he won't. Maybe he can fight it off."

"And maybe he can't, that's all I'm saying."

"We'll just have to see, okay?" I interjected.

A few moments of silence passed over us before Dean spoke up again. "You sure your emotions aren't getting in the way here?"

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked.

"You know, nice dude, but he's got something evil inside. Something in his blood. Maybe you can relate."

"Jesus, Dean." I sighed, shaking my head.

"Stop the car." Sam fumed.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Stop the car, or I will!" Sam exclaimed, the whole scene very reminiscent of what happened between Bobby and I before we buried Dean.

"Alright, alright." Dean said, pulling the car to the side of the road. Before it even came to a stop, Sam jumped out, walking around back.

"Really?" I asked, shooting Dean a look.

"What did I do?"

"Oh, come on." I huffed, getting out of the car, hearing Dean follow me.

"You want to know why I've been lying to you, Dean?" Sam asked. "Because of shit like this. The way you talk to me, the way you look at me. Like I'm a freak!"

"I do not."

"You know, or even worse, like I'm an idiot!" Sam exclaimed, placing his hands on his hips. "Like I don't know the difference between right and wrong!"

"Do you know the difference, Sam? I mean, you've been kind of strolling a dark road lately."

"You have no idea what I'm going through. None."

"Then enlighten me!"

"I've got demon blood in me, Dean! This disease pumping through my veins, and I can't ever rip it out or scrub it clean! I'm a whole new level of freak! And I'm just trying to take this- this curse and make something good out of it. Because I have to."

"Okay, why don't we all just calm down here?" I asked, looking between the boys. "Let's just go talk to Jack. Maybe we can do this. Maybe _he_ can do this."

"Yeah, alright." Dean nodded, his voice my more calm now. "Let's go talk to the guy."

Sam shook his head, letting out scoff. "Yeah."

Dean rolled his eyes, throwing his arms out to the side. "I mean, Jack, okay?"

After a moment, Sam gave a near non-existent nod, following Dean and I back into the Impala.

* * *

 **MONTGOMERY HOUSE – DAY**

Once we'd arrived at Jack's house, we made our way around the back, finding him standing near a small garden, a running hose in his hand. He barely even noticed our presence, seeming completely spaced out, staring down at the soil.

"Jack Montgomery?" Sam called. It took a moment for Jack to even respond, glancing up at us with bloodshot eyes. "I'm Sam Winchester. This is my brother, Dean and my sister Tori. We need to talk."

"About?" Jack asked.

"About you. About how you're changing."

"Who the hell are you guys?"

"We're people who know a little something about something."

"We're people who can help." I added. "Just hear us out. Please."

"Fine." Jack nodded, shutting the hose off before dropping it on the ground. "What?"

"Things are changing for you. And you might not believe us, but you're- well, there's no easy way to say this, really. You're turning into a rougarou. It's a...creature of some kind...and-"

"You've probably been feeling your bones move under your skin. And your appetite's reaching, you know, _hungry-hungry-hippo_ levels." Dean added, a little less eloquent that I would've put it. "How am I doing so far?"

"You're telling me I'm a- a-"

"A rugaru. Sounds made-up, I know, but believe me, it's not."

"Alright, I've noticed certain things. I mean, some strange things. But I just, I- I don't know. I'm- I'm sick or something."

"Your father was one of these things." Sam said. "Your real father. He passed it on to you."

"No. Are- are you guys listening to yourselves? You sound like you're-"

"Let's skip the whole _you guys sound crazy_ , shall we?" Dean asked, not wasting any time. "You're hungry, Jack. You're only gonna get hungrier."

"Hungrier for...?"

"Long pig. You know, a little _manburger helper_ , may have crossed your mind already."

"No."

"It doesn't have to be like this, Jack. You can fight it off." Sam told him.

"No." Jack repeated, shaking his head.

"Others have."

"We're not gonna lie to you, though. It's not gonna be easy." Dean said. "You're gonna feel like an alcoholic swimming around in whiskey. But I'm telling you. You gotta say no..."

"Or what?"

"You feed once and it's all over." I explained.

"And then we'll have to stop you." Sam added.

" _Stop me_? My dad, dud somebody _stop_ him?" Jack asked.

"Yes."

"Get off my property right now." Jack said, suddenly getting angry. "If I see you guys again, I'm calling the cops."

"Jack, your wife, everybody you know, they're in danger."

"Now!" Jack exclaimed, calling attention to one of his neighbors that was outside.

"Okay, okay. We'll go." I said, the boys and I turning to leave.

"Good talk." Dean commented as we left the property, heading back to the Impala parked near the sidewalk.

* * *

By the time night had fallen, Jack didn't go back home, wandering around aimlessly as we followed him a good distance away in the Impala. I wasn't sure what he was doing, but to be honest, he was making me nervous. Every person that walked by, he looked at them like he was about to pounce. And each time, I felt myself stiffen in the front seat of the car, just waiting for something bad to happen.

A few feet down the street, Jack sat on a bench, looking down at his phone for a moment before glancing into an apartment building across the street. I followed his gaze, seeing him staring up into the room of a woman, who started getting undressed before shutting the curtains. Suddenly, Jack got up, sprinting across the street to the building.

"Come on." Dean said, shoving a flamethrower into my hands before giving one to Sam, exiting the car.

"Damn it. Jack. No." Sam muttered, letting out a small sigh. I patted his shoulder, following Dean out of the car with Sam behind me.

We made our way into the building, finding the woman's apartment. Dean kicked the door in, finding the woman standing there, completely topless inside her studio apartment. She let out a loud scream, covering herself as she rushed back into her bathroom, slamming the door shut.

"Wait! We're here to save you!" Dean called, moving over to her bedroom door as I looked around the room, seeing no trace of Jack anywhere. "I guess."

"I'm calling the police!" The woman shouted, her voice muffled inside the room.

"We should go." I said, looking between the boys.

"Yeah." Dean nodded, tip-toeing back to my side with a small chuckle. "Gotta tell you, I wasn't expecting to see that."

"Dean." I scolded, pushing him out of the room, towards Sam, who already exited. I shut the door behind me without much luck, finding that the hinge was completely broken.

* * *

 **MONTGOMERY HOUSE – NIGHT**

In the time it had taken us to get back out to the Impala, we realized that most definitely lost Jack. He could be anywhere by now. The only place we could think to head back to was his own home, hoping he'd go there. Through he was walking for so long, we were a good ten minutes away from the place now. As we pulled up in front of the home, we spotted Travis's car parked out front.

"I guess we know where Travis is." Dean said as we got out of the car, flamethrowers in hand.

"That stupid son of a bitch." Sam mumbled, shaking his head. Dean shot his brother a look, raising his eyebrows at that comment.

Dean stepped in front of us, slowly pushing the door open, walking into the dimly lit room. I followed in next with Sam behind me, scanning the living room, seeing a chair knocked to it's side on the floor, ropes tied around it. I moved over towards it, finding a huge pool of blood into the white carpet, a trail of blood leading behind the couch.

As I moved closer, I could clearly see a piece of meat sitting on the floor, covered in blood.

"Oh, god."

"Is it Travis?" Dean asked from his spot by Sam across the room.

"What's left of him." I muttered.

Sam sighed, glancing over at Dean. "I guess you were right about Jack."

Suddenly, Jack came out of nowhere, his eyes dark and mouth covered in blood, slamming Dean down onto the coffee table, knocking him out. I quickly ducked behind the couch, watching as Jack pushed Sam to the floor, grabbing the fire extinguisher, slamming it down onto his forehead, knocking him out as well. I tried to keep my breathing steady as I heard Jack walking around, moving slowly.

"I know you're here." He mumbled, his footsteps coming closer as I fumbled with the flamethrower, trying to light the damn thing. But it wasn't working. "I can smell you."

Before I knew what was happening, Jack was behind me. He knocked me down onto the ground, hovering over me, blood dripping off his mouth onto my cheek. I grimaced, trying to fight him off as he grabbed the sides of my head, slamming the back of it hard onto the floor.

* * *

My eyes fluttered open to see that I was upright, sitting down in the same chair that was turned on it's side, my arms and legs tied to it tightly. I looked up, seeing Dean lying still on the coffee table. The sight hit me light a freight train, immediately bringing back memories from four months ago. I craned my neck, not able to see if he was breathing or not in the dim light of the living room.

"Dean?" I called quietly, struggling against the ropes.

"Dean can't come to the phone right now." Jack announced from behind, startling me.

"You bastard. What did you do to him?"

"Nothing...yet."

"Jack! If you hurt them, I swear to God!" Sam called from inside the closet across the room, his voice muffled.

"Calm down!" Jack shouted, making his way over to Dean, staring down at him. "They're alive."

"Dean's alive?" I asked, the desperation clear in my voice.

"Not if you don't calm down." Jack said, glancing over at me. "That goes for both of you."

"...okay." I nodded.

"Jack. Listen. Open the door." Sam said. "We can figure this out, okay?"

We'll have ourselves a little brainstorming session." Jack laughed.

"Jack. Please."

"I don't think so." Jack muttered, shaking his head. "After what you did?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"You send your friend here. He tried to burn my wife alive."

"Why?" I asked, taken aback.

Jack glanced up at me, quickly looking away. "He didn't say. I guess psychopaths don't have to explain themselves."

"Listen, Jack, we never would've hurt her, okay? Never." Sam said.

Jack ignored him and with a shaking hand, he reached out, dipping his fingers in a small pool of blood that had collected by Dean's head before bringing them up, watching the blood run down his finger for a moment before sucking it off, beginning to rock back and forth.

"Oh, god. I'm so hungry."

"Please, don't do this." I said, trying my hardest to pull my wrists out of the ropes.

"I can't ever see my family again. You three, your friend...you made me into this!"

"No one's making you kill us." Sam called. "Listen to me. You got this dark pit inside you. I know. Believe me, I know. But that doesn't mean you have to fall into it. You don't have to be a monster."

"Have you seen me lately?"

"It doesn't matter what you are. It only matters what you do." I said, finally able to slip my hand into my back pocket, taking out my small knife, cutting the rope. "It's your choice."

Jack glanced over at me for a moment before grunting in paint, moving closer to Dean as he started to wake up. I frantically worked on the rope, finally getting the knife through it. Jack started to open his mouth, holding Dean down by his shoulder. Just then, Sam burst out of the closet, catching Jack's attention. Jack stared at him for a moment before lunging towards Sam.

"Jack!" I called, breaking out of the ropes, gaining his attention. He watched me as I brought the knife to the top of my forearm, letting out a hiss as I created a deep slit down the length of it.

The blood immediately poured out, dripping down onto the floor in the beginnings of a large puddle. Just as Jack moved towards me, Sam lit the flamethrower he had behind his back, lighting Jack on fire. I shielded my eyes from the flames, looking away as Jack cried out in pain, burning alive as he fell to the floor.

* * *

Back outside in the Impala, Sam and driven a good distance away from the house, having been the only one who didn't lose blood today. After he stopped the three of us got out of the car, heading around to the trunk for the first aid kit.

"Are you crazy?" Dean asked, wrapping a bandage around the cut in my arm.

"Yes." I mumbled, glancing up at him. "How's your head?"

"Hurts."

"You okay, Sam?" I asked, glancing over at him as he leaned against the side of the Impala, staring blankly into the trees across the road, not responding.

"You did the right thing, you know. That guy was a monster, there was no going back." Dean said. "Sam, I wanna tell you I'm sorry. I've been kind of hard on you lately."

"Don't worry about it, Dean." Sam sighed.

"It's just that your psychic thing – it scares the shit out of me."

"Look, if it's all the same... I'd really rather not talk about it."

"Wait a minute, what? You don't want to talk? You?" Dean asked, trying to joke.

"There's nothing more to say." Sam shrugged. "I can't keep explaining myself to you. I can't make you understand."

"Why don't you try?"

"I can't. Because this thing, this blood, it's not in you the way it's in me. It's just something I got to deal with."

"Not alone." I said, glancing up at him.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter. These powers...it's playing with fire. I'm done with them. I'm done with everything."

"Really?" Dean asked, not able to hide the happiness in his voice. "Well, that's a relief. Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I'm not doing it for you, or for the angels or for anybody." Sam said, glancing over at me for a moment before looking back down. "This is my choice."

* * *

 **Just something I want to say because I feel like putting a little spoiler (not really) out there. Tori totally gets into Dean's head, if you haven't noticed already. And she can pretty much always calm him down when he's upset...which may or may not play a big part in the story during s9...and...stuff *wink, wink***

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Twitter: phoenixwrites79  
Instagram: phoenixwritesfanfiction **


	8. Monster Movie

_Look at him, look at me  
That boy is bad, and honestly  
He's a wolf in disguise  
But I can't stop staring in those evil eyes_

 _..._

 _He licked his lips, said to me_  
 _Girl, you look good enough to eat_  
 _Put his arms around me_  
 _Said boy, now get your paws right off of me_

… _._

 _He ate my heart, instead  
He's a monster in my bed  
I wanna just dance, but he took me home instead  
There was a monster in my bed  
We french-kissed on a subway train  
He tore my clothes right off  
He ate my heart and then he ate my brain_

 _That boy is a monster  
That boy is a monster _

_**Lady Gaga – Monster**_

* * *

The Impala drove along the smooth road, passing a sign that read _Welcome to Pennsylvania._ Dean was unusually giddy this morning, probably due to the fact that his was a _normal_ job. There were no demons, no angels. Just a good ol' monster. Either way, it was good to see him happy.

"The radio around here sucks." Dean mumbled, shutting it off, glancing over at Sam, seeing the bored look on his face. "Come on, man. Jobs don't get much sweeter than this, you know? Dead vic with a gnawed-on neck, body drained of blood, and a witness who swears up and down that it was a vampire."

"No, I- I agree. It's a hell of a case." Sam mumbled unenthusiastically.

"A little more gusto, please."

"It's just...the world is coming to an end. Things are a little complicated, you know?"

"Yeah, well, we can't save the world, not today anyway. But what we can do is chop off some vamp's heads. Come on, man, it's like the good old days, an honest-to-goodness monster hunt. It's about time the Winchesters got back to tackling a straightforward, black and white case."

"All while the word crumbles around us." I sighed.

"Oh, come on, not you, too." Dean complained.

"I'm just saying. It's true. It's happening."

"And what are we gonna do about it? Sit and cry? Eat ice cream all day?"

"I don't know, I could go for some ice cream." I shrugged, shooting a small smile at Dean. "Something with brownies in it."

* * *

 **CANONSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA – DAY**

The sound of Polka music played loudly by a band in a gazebo, echoing through the small village-like setup in the town, a bunch of signs everywhere announcing that it was Oktoberfest, two-thousand-eight.

"We still got to see the new Raiders movie." Dean mumbled.

Sam nodded. "Saw it."

"When?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Uh, after you left."

I rolled my eyes. "Nice."

"Wait, without me?" Dean asked.

"You were in hell." Sam shrugged

"That's no excuse." Dean mumbled, looking hurt for a fraction of a second, before spotting something a few feet away. "Big pretzel!"

I could never really express how good it was to have him back.

I smiled, watching him head over to the vendor, ordering three pretzels. Dean came back over then, handing Sam and I a pretzel.

"Aw, thanks." I murmured, placing a kiss on his cheek.

"Well, you know." Dean shrugged, shooting me a smile as he took a bite of his pretzel.

" _Guten tag_." A pretty blonde smiled, walking past us.

" _Guten tag_ yourself." Dean grinned through a full mouth of food. I rolled my eyes, spotting a Sheriff a few feet away.

"Hey, I think that's our guy." I said, staring to make my way over to him, the boys behind me. "Sheriff Dietrich?"

"Are you the kids from the fed?" He asked, looking us over with a raised eyebrow as Dean took another huge bite of his pretzel.

"Yes." I nodded, gesturing to Sam, myself and Dean as we flashed our badges. "Agents Angus, McKinnon and Young."

"We called ahead about your, uh, problem." Sam added.

"Right. I'll tell you what, why don't we talk this out away from the crowd, huh?"

* * *

We followed sheriff Dietrich to the hospital, heading inside to the morgue where he was currently pulling out the victim's body, covered with a white sheet, as always.

"Marissa Wright, twenty-six." He said, pulling the sheet back to reveal a pretty dark blonde-haired woman. "Just up from Lockhard for the 'fest. Terrible. Just terrible. It's the last thing this town needs at peak tourist season."

"And definitely the last thing Marissa Wright needed." I commented.

Dean put on a pair of gloves, gently turning her head to the side, our eyes widening in collective shock when we saw two vampire bite-like dots there. "What the hell?"

"Yeah, you got me. I mean, this killer's some kind of grade-A wacko, right? Some Satan-worshipping, Anne Rice-reading, gothic, psycho vampire wannabe." The sheriff said, shaking his head.

"Sheriff, in your report, you mentioned a witness."

"Yeah, I wished I didn't. But our witness insisted. That's Ed Brewer. Not exactly what you'd call reliable."

* * *

 **BAR – DAY**

As soon as we entered, I let out an internal groan, spotting the same pretty blonde from before standing behind the bar, filling up a few pints of beer. I glanced over at Dean, seeing him staring at her.

"Okay." I mumbled, folding my arms.

" _Okay,_ what?" Dean asked, looking down at me with furrowed brows.

"You've been good. You can flirt with her."

"You're giving me permission?"

"Yeah."

"Why?" Dean asked, to which I just shrugged. Dean narrowed his eyes, looking suspicious. "Is this one of those things where you're trying to trick me? Like, if I actually do it, you're gonna be pissed because I did it?"

"First of all, I am not like that, thank you very much. Second, I'm not telling you to sleep with the girl."

"Yeah, I know. It's just..." Dean trailed off, his eyes going wide before filling with a slight look of lust. "Does it turn you on?"

"To see you flirt with other girls? Well...honestly..." I sighed, taking a step closer to him, my body pressed against his. I saw him swallow hard as he stared down at me, his eyes darkening. I grinned, lightly slapping the back of his head, catching him off guard. "Fuck, no. What is wrong with you?"

Dean chuckled, trying to play off the fact that I didn't just give him a boner in the middle of a crowded room. "Just a question."

"Right." I nodded, shaking my head. "Like I said, you've been good. I wanna see if you've still got it."

"If _I've_ still got it? _Me_?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Alright, don't get too cocky, Winchester." I smiled, pushing him over towards her. "Come on, prove it to me. Get her number."

"I can't help but think this turns you on in some weird way."

"Go before I change my mind."

"Alright, alright." Dean nodded, approaching the bar.

"Why the hell are you doing this?" Sam asked, glancing down at me.

"Might as well let him have fun sometime. Plus, most of the time, it's pretty hilarious." I shrugged, nudging Sam's arm with my shoulder. "And...sometimes it is kind of a turn on."

"Okay, too much information." Sam complained as lingered back.

"I remember you." The girl smiled at Dean as he stood there.

"And I remember you..." Dean paused, glancing down at her name badge. " _Lucy_. I never forget a pretty...everything."

"Ooh." I murmured, rolling my eyes as I walked up behind him. "We're looking for Ed Brewer."

"What do you want with Ed?" Lucy asked, glancing up at me.

"Well, we are federal agents." Dean grinned, pulling out his badge. "Mr. Brewer was witness to a serious crime. We just need to-"

"Wait a minute, you're a fed? You don't come on like a fed."

"I'm a maverick, ma'am. A rebel with a badge. One thing I don't play by...the rules."

Before I could stop it, a laugh bubbled out in the form of a snort and I covered my mouth with my hand, pressing my lips together to try to keep from laughing anymore, ignoring the slight glare I was getting from Dean as I kept my eyes trained down at the bar, clearing my throat.

"Okay, maverick." Sam muttered, rolling his eyes. "Um, so where can we find Mr. Brewer?"

"He's over there." Lucy said, pointing across the bar to a man sitting at a table by himself.

"Thanks." I smiled, turning to head over to the table with the boys. I glanced up at him, shooting him a grin. "Well? Where's the number?"

Dean huffed. "I didn't get one because of you."

"Oh, because of me? How is it my fault?" I laughed.

"If you didn't start laughing..."

"I'm sorry." I said, stepping in front of him, putting on a fake apologetic face.

"Uh-huh."

"But you have to know, baby, there's one thing I don't play by… _the rules_." I said dramatically, lowering my voice, raising an eyebrow, hearing Sam chuckle next to us.

"Yeah, alright." Dean grinned as he gently moved me out of his way to keep walking. "The night is young. I'm getting that number."

"Sure, you are."

"I will."

"Whatever you say." I smiled as we walked in front of Ed Brewers table, flashing our badges. "Ed Brewer?"

"Yes?" He asked, glancing up at me.

"We're agents Angus, McKinnon and Young. Mind if we ask you a few questions about what you saw the other night?"

"I told the cops everything I saw. No one believes me. Why should you be any different?"

"Believe me, Mr. Brewer, we're different." Dean said as we sat across from him.

"I spoke the God's honest truth and now I'm the town joke."

"Marissa Wright's murder is no joke to us." Sam said. "And we want to hear everything, no matter how strange it may seem."

"We have a lot of experience with strange." Dean added.

"It was just after midnight. I just left here, and like I do every night, I cut through the park on the way home." Ed paused, taking a long swig of his beer. "At first, I thought it was a couple kissing. But she was...struggling too much. And this man, he was- well, he was biting her neck."

"Can you describe her assailant?" Sam asked.

"Oh, he was a vampire." Ed muttered simply.

"Okay." I nodded. "And by that you mean-"

"You know, a vampire."

"So, he looked like…?"

"He looked like a vampire. You know, with the fangs and the slicked back hair and the fancy cape and the little medallion thingy on the ribbon."

"You mean like a Dracula?" Dean asked incredulously.

"Exactly, like a Dracula. Right down to the accent."

"The accent?" Sam asked.

"Yup."

"What did he say?"

"You know, something like-" Ed paused, raising his arm over his face as if he had a cape on. " _Stay away, mortal! The night is mine!_ "

"Right." I nodded, staring at him in slight shock.

"You do believe me, don't you?"

"Um, sure. Sure, we do. Thanks for your time."

"Yeah." Ed mumbled dejectedly, taking another drink of his beer. Dean got up first, making his way back over to the bar while Sam and I followed behind.

"So, you got a beer back there for me?" Dean asked.

"I don't know, Agent Young, you off duty?"

"And then some." Dean mumbled as I walked up, leaning on the bar beside him. "So, what do you think? Goth, psycho, vampire wannabe, right?"

"Definitely not our kind of case." Sam sighed, glancing down at a napkin Lucy had left there after blotting her lipstick onto it.

"Agreed. But who cares?" Dean asked as we made our way over to a vacant table. "Room's paid for, and it's Oktoberfest. Come on. Beer and bar wenches."

"You wanna get her number, I wouldn't keep calling her a wench, if I were you. Women these days don't like that sort of thing." I said, sitting next to him.

Dean nodded, glancing over at Lucy. "Hey, bar wench, where's that beer?"

"Coming up, good sir!" She replied. I rolled my eyes as Dean looked back to me, an eyebrow raised.

"Not the classy ones, anyway." I said, glancing over at him. "If any guy ever called me a wench, I'd rip his dick off."

Dean laughed. "Classy."

"Mhm." I chuckled.

"Alright, here you go." Lucy smiled, placing Dean's beer down in front of him before turning to Sam. "What can I get you?"

"Oh, he doesn't drink." Dean interjected. "He's a Christian scientist. Doesn't even take aspirin. He's a real drag on stakeouts."

"You're funny." Lucy laughed.

"I'm a lot more than that. I'd love to get a chance to show you the rest. What time you get off?" Dean asked not so smoothly.

"Like I said, funny." Lucy grinned, completely blowing him off as she looked over to me. "What can I get you?"

"Beer sounds good."

"Woman after my own heart." She said, shooting me a lustful look before walking away.

"Well, one of us is getting that number tonight." I said, to Dean, gesturing between him and I. "And I don't think it's gonna be you."

"Hey, whatever you two wanna get up to is fine with me as long as I can watch." Dean smirked.

I shook my head, laughing. "You're disgusting."

"Alright, well, you guys go do whatever you got to do...just don't fill me in tomorrow." Sam sighed, looking down at his phone.

"I'll think about it." I smiled, turning to Dean, a lustful look in my eyes. "I think Lucy's a lost cause."

"Oh, yeah?" Dean asked, clearly noticing the change in my voice.

"Yeah." I nodded, running a hand on his thigh underneath the table. "What do you say we get out of here?"

"Sounds good to me." Dean smiled, keeping his eyes trained on mine as he held his hand out to Sam. "Give me the keys."

"Whoa, who said _getting out of here_ meant we had to leave?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What?" Dean asked, watching me as I got up, making my way over to the bar.

"Hey. What can I get for you?" Lucy asked, very obviously checking me out.

"I was wondering if you had access to the bar's office?"

"Um, yeah. Why?"

"Based on a few leads, my partners and I need to check it out."

"Why? Do you think someone here did something?"

"Possibly." I lied, biting my lip. "Would you mind?"

"Um, no. Come on." She muttered. I glanced back over to Dean, nodding for them to follow me, which he did, even though he still look slightly confused. Sam stayed back, shaking his head as me. Lucy unlocked the office door, pushing it open for us. "Here you go."

"Thanks." I smiled, making my way inside with Dean, pretending to look through some files. "If you wouldn't mind giving us some time to sort through things."

"Oh, sure." Lucy nodded, shutting the door as she left.

"What did you tell her?"

"There were some leads we needed to check out. In here."

"You dirty little liar." Dean commented, pulling me tightly to him.

"Well, I just couldn't help myself." I smiled, pulling him down to kiss me.

Dean ran his hands over my body until he got to my bottom, pulling my lower half towards his, allowing me to really feel him. I grabbed his tie, leading him over behind the desk. I pushed him away slightly, giving me enough room to turn around and lean down on the desk, silently telling him what I wanted.

"Fuck." Dean breathed, running his hands over my hips before reaching his hands underneath my skirt, hiking it up before pulling my underwear down slightly. I waited patiently, hearing Dean undo his pants before feeling him press himself against me, waiting a moment before he slid inside me, the both of us letting out sighs of pleasure, still trying to keep our voices down.

"Oh, yeah." I murmured, loving the way he made me feel. I resting my head on the desk as Dean pumped in and out behind me, his hands on my hips.

Dean let out a moan as I arched my back more, allowing him to go even deeper and faster. "Jesus."

"Fuck." I huffed, shutting my eyes tightly. "Don't stop, baby."

"No way."

Before I knew it, Dean and I were both in completely ecstasy, moaning as we came. Dean put his hands on the desk on either side of my body as he leaned down, placing a kiss on the side of my neck. I hummed at the contact, turning my head to look up at him with a smile, feeling him slip out of me as he moved back slightly. I stood upright, pulling my underwear back into place as Dean buttoned his pants.

"Well, that was fun."

"I fucking love you, Cherry Pie." Dean breathed, a small grin on his lips as he bent down, placing a loving kiss on my lips.

"I fucking love you, too." I muttered against his lips, running a hand through his hair as I pulled back. "We should probably go. Don't want to get caught being _unofficial_."

"Who cares? We're leaving tomorrow, anyway."

"True." I murmured, flicking his full bottom lip with my pointer finger, smirking up at him. "Don't tempt me with round two. I won't be able to say no."

"Well, then..." Dean trailed off, running his hands underneath my shirt, finding the clasp of my bra.

I grinned up at him, gently pulling his hands out. "Come on."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Listen, if you're waiting for Lucy to come in here and join us, I'm telling you, that's not gonna happen." I muttered with a smile. "I won't let it."

"Maybe I just can't get enough of you." Dean murmured, staring down at me with his bright green eyes. "Believe me, I don't want to share you with anyone."

"Aw...even Lucy?"

"Well..." Dean trailed off, pretending to think about it. I playfully slapped him on the shoulder, shaking my head as he smiled. "Even someone as smoking hot as Lucy."

"Wow."

"You're hotter, though."

"Sure." I mumbled, pretending to be annoyed as I rounded the corner of the desk walking away from him.

"Oh, come on. How many girls would pretend to be an FBI agent needing to look for evidence in a bar office just to go and have sex with their guy inside of that office?"

"And that's what makes me hot? The fact that I'm a slut?" I joked.

"Hey, don't call yourself that." Dean said, suddenly looking a little more serious for a moment, pushing a lock of hair behind my ear before smiling at me. "It's how amazing you are. Plus the fact that you have a killer body, you're drop dead gorgeous. And those eyes…."

"Alright, alright." I chuckled, rolling my eyes. "You're such a romantic." This time, it was Dean who rolled his eyes, moving over to the door, opening it for me. "See?"

Dean bent down as I moved into the doorway, whispering in my ear. "Wait and see what this romantic is gonna do to you later."

I glanced up at him, a smirk on my face. "Bring it on... _maverick_."

* * *

The next morning, Sam found out that a couple were attacked in their car the night before, the man's injuries too severe for him to survive. However, the woman did, which is why we were sitting outside a small cafe, speaking with her as she slurped loudly from a cup of coffee.

I rolled my eyes, exchanging a slightly irritated glanced with Dean as Anna-Marie continued her story. "And then it just- it just tore Rick into little pieces."

"Ma'am, we understand how hard this is, but can you describe the creature?" Dean asked.

"Oh. It was a werewolf." She said matter-of-factly.

"A werewolf?" Sam asked, to which she just nodded. "You're sure?"

"Oh, yeah. With the furry face, and the black nose, and the claws and the torn up pants and shirt. Like from the old movies." Anna-Marie muttered. I stared blankly at her, shaking my head slightly.

Did these people really find this funny?

"Well, okay, so...thank you for your time." Dean said as the three of us got up to head to the morgue.

* * *

In such a small town, we made it to the morgue in no time, heading to the drawers.

"First a Dracula and now a full on movie time Wolf Man? What the hell is going on in this town?" Dean asked.

"I have no clue, but it's driving me insane." I mumbled as Sam opened one of the units, pulling out Rick's body. He unzipped the body bag, the three of us immediately recoiling at the smell and sight of him.

"Damn!" Dean exclaimed, grimacing at the body.

"Whatever did this wasn't a psycho wannabe." Sam said, grabbing a pencil, lifting a piece of torn flesh from Rick's abdomen. "Look at those bite marks. Right down to the bone...and deeper."

"Strong enough to tear a healthy man apart limb from limb. Could be a werewolf."

"Yeah, except the heart's still there." I pointed out. "A real werewolf would never leave the heart behind."

"Thus I reiterate...what the hell is going on?"

"Well, I was hoping you kids could tell me." The sheriff said, making his way into the room with a clear bag in his hand. "I just got a rush job back from the lab on those fibers we found on the body. Canine. Wolf hairs."

"I'm getting a headache." Dean mumbled, leaning against the wall of drawers.

* * *

Not even five minutes after we left the morgue, Sam got a call that there was another murder, this time inside of the town's museum. We made our way over, finding a few cops and sheriff's already mulling around. They explained to us that a guard was found strangled with one of the sarcophagi open and empty.

"This sarcophagus isn't ancient." Sam said, examining it, holding up a tag. "It's from a prop-house in Philly."

"Well...it goes well with the bucket of dry ice he was keeping in it." Dean said, lifting up a bucket of dry ice from inside the sarcophagus.

"Is he making his own special effects?" I asked.

"Yeah, a mummy with a good sense of showmanship. Looks like we've stumbled onto a midnight showing of Dracula meets Wolf Man meets the Mummy."

"I don't know." Sam shrugged. "I mean, Wolf Man seems real enough. Makes Dracula seem a little less impossible, I guess. But this…?"

"Werewolves don't grow dog hair. That's just a myth." I said.

"Yeah."

"So, what? We've got a vampire, a werewolf and a mummy monster mashing this town?" Dean asked.

"This is stupid. Like really stupid." I complained, rubbing my temples. "I need a drink."

"I couldn't agree more." Dean sighed, glancing over at Sam. "You coming?"

"Nah. I'll stick around. You guys go ahead."

"Alright." Dean nodded, the two of us making our way back to the Impala.

* * *

 **BAR – NIGHT**

As Dean was parking the car, I made my way over to the bar to head inside and order some drinks. Just as I was about to open the door, I felt someone staring at me, glancing back to see...Dracula standing there.

"Good evening." He murmured, grabbing my hand tightly before I had the chance to run away. "I have watched you for many nights from afar. My passion knows no bounds, Mina! You are the reincarnation of my beloved, and I must have you."

I quickly punched him in the face, feeling his skin completely give way under my fist. In his startled state, he let me go and I quickly moved away from him as he stared down at me, opening and closing his mouth a few times as his skin moved back into place.

"Tori!" Dean called, running up from behind, his eyes going wide when he saw the man standing there. "Son of a bitch."

"You should not use such language in the presence of my bride." Dracula muttered, staring at me longingly.

"Okay." Dean nodded, moving me behind him before punching Dracula across the face.

"You have no choice in the matter, Mr. Harker. Mina is mine."

As they struggled, Dean ripped off his ear and when Dracula realized what happened, he quickly turned, running away. We ran after him, finding him escaping on a moped.

"You're kidding, right?" I asked. "This is a joke, isn't it?"

"This feel like a joke?" Dean asked, dropping the ear into my palm.

I grimaced, quickly giving it back to him. "Gross."

* * *

A little while later, Sam arrived back at the bar, walking over to Dean and I where we were waiting for him outside.

"Hey. You guys alright?"

"Yeah, I think so." Dean nodded as we made our way into the bar, heading to a table at the back. "I think I know what's going on."

"Yeah?" Sam asked as we sat down, watching Dean place a folded towel on the table.

"Part of it, at least."

Sam nodded, unfolding the towel, furrowing his brow. "Uh, the ear part?"

"Ripped it off of Dracula's head. Touch it."

"Ugh."

"Feel familiar to you?" I asked.

"Oh, man."

"Skin of a shapeshifter. Just like St. Louis and just like Milwaukee. Of course this one's all holding buckets of crazy. Oh, and, uh...this." Dean said, placing the medallion on the table. "I pulled it off during the fight. Look at the label on the ribbon."

"It's a costume rental."

"All three monsters – the Dracula, Wolf Man, and the mummy – all the same critter. Which means we need to catch this freak before he _Creature From the Black Lagoon_ 's somebody."

"So all the stagecraft, the costuming…it's like he's trying to re-enact his favorite monster movie moments, right down to the bloody murders." Sam said.

"Exactly." I nodded. "He called me _Mina._ "

"And he called me _Mr. Harker._ " Dean added. "So what, he's making us part of his fucked up movie?"

"It seems like he's fixating on you. Or at least, girls like you."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Remember Marissa Wright? You two look similar. You're the same age. He's going after girls that resemble...Mina."

"Okay, but I look nothing like _Helen Chandler_."

"Close enough, I guess."

"And I just naturally get in the way here, I'm assuming." Dean added.

"Well, you aren't her fiance, but you're her boyfriend and I guess that's good enough." Sam shrugged.

"Great. This is wonderful. How are we gonna figure out who's doing this?" I asked, looking between the boys.

"Well, we gotta think back to everyone we met here. You know, someone who was looking at you in a... _fixated_ sort of way."

"Who?"

"Ed." Dean said, glancing over at me.

"Ed?"

"Yeah, Ed Brewer. He couldn't take his eyes off of you."

"I don't know."

"It's worth a shot. I'll go check him out." Sam said, standing to his feet, looking between Dean and I. "Take care of Mina."

"Yup." Dean nodded, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as a few other patrons left the bar, leaving us the only two left inside, aside from whatever bartender was working.

"Am I ever _not_ going to be the target of some insane...thing?" I asked, looking over at Dean, who tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.

"Maybe if you stop being so damn beautiful."

"That's sweet." I nodded, letting out a sigh. "So not the time, but sweet anyway."

I heard the sound of a door slamming behind me, jumping at the sound, turning around to see Lucy standing there. "Oh, shit. Sorry. I thought everyone left."

"Oh, it's okay. We were just about to leave-"

"No, no. It's fine. Don't worry about it. Stay as long as you want."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course." Lucy smiled, grabbing a few beers, bringing them over to the table. "Looks like you guys are staying a while. I heard about Rick Deacon."

"Yeah, this case just got weird enough for our department." Dean muttered.

"Well, beers are on me."

"Thanks." I smiled, taking a small sip of the beer, leaning into Dean's side.

Lucy stared down at us, a slightly sour look on her face before she plastered a smile onto her lips, taking a napkin, blotting some of her red lipstick off on it. "Things have been really crazy in this town lately."

"Yeah." Dean nodded, taking a drink of his own beer.

"Is it hot in here?" I asked, fanning myself.

"What? Are you okay?"

"I don't know. I feel like shit."

"Tori?" Dean called, his voice slurring slightly.

"Dean, are you okay?" I asked, glancing up at him, seeing his eyes fluttering shut.

"It's you, isn't it? Shit. What did you put in our drinks?!" Dean shouted at Lucy as she stared over at him with a smirk."That's alright. I'll skin you myself."

Suddenly, Dean passed out, falling out of the chair and onto the ground with a thud. I quickly glanced over at him, wobbling as I did so. "Dean!"

"It's alright, _Mina_." Lucy purred, pulling me into her arms as the room started to spin around me. She picked up the glass of beer, holding my mouth open as I struggled weakly, pouring more liquid inside. "You'll be just fine."

* * *

DPOV 

Opening my eyes, I saw that I was in dark dungeon-type room, strapped to an upright table, wearing lederhosen. I don't know what's more disturbing...the fact that I'm actually wearing this, or the fact that he _put_ me in this.

I looked around, seeing a portrait of a woman on the wall that resembled Lucy.

"She is beautiful, no?" Dracula asked, appearing out of nowhere, walking over to me. "Bride number three from the first film. She never got the acclaim that she deserved. Which is why I chose her shape, her form, to move among the mortals unnoticed. To listen to the cricket songs of the living. There were others before, but when you came, that is when I truly discovered my bride had been reborn in this century."

"I can't get over what a pumpkin-pie-eyed, crazy son of a bitch you really are. You're not Dracula!" I exclaimed. "You get that, right? Or even if you think you are Dracula, what the hell's up with the mummy?!"

Dracula walked over, punching me. "I am all monsters!"

"Life ain't a movie, you sorry sack of-" Before I could finish, he punched me again.

"Life is small. Meager. Messy. The movies are grand, simple, elegant. I have chosen elegance."

"You think _elegance_ is really the word for what you did to Marissa, or Rick Deacon, or any of the others?"

"But of course. It is a monster movie, after all."

"You do realize what happens at the end of every monster movie?"

"Ah, but this movie is mine. And in it, the monster wins. The monster gets the girl. And the hero, he's...electrocuted. And tonight, Jonathan Harker, you will be my hero." He said, placing a hand on a large lever on the wall.

"Wait, wait-"

Just then, the doorbell rang, causing him to back away. "Please, excuse me."

I let out a relieved breath, still struggling against the straps, hoping that Tori was still okay, wherever she was.

* * *

TPOV 

I felt the soft bed underneath me as my eyes fluttered open, meeting a large, pristine looking room. I sat up in the plush bed, looking around as the door swung open and Dracula entered.

"You wake." He murmured, gesturing to the white satin dress hanging by the bed. "The gown. It suits your beauty. Please, put it on."

"Where is Dean?" I asked, ignoring his request.

"Harker is resting elsewhere. Please, put on the gown and you may dine. We are having pizza."

"What? You're kidding, right?"

"The gown."

"I'm not playing your stupid game, alright?"

"Put on the gown or Harker dies!" He shouted, suddenly looking furious. "Now!"

"Okay, okay." I muttered, standing to my feet. "I'll do whatever you want, just please don't hurt him."

"He is not ready to meet an end just yet."

"Okay. Good." I nodded, beginning to take off my shirt.

"What are you doing?" He asked, shielding his eyes with his cape. "I mustn't see you until our wedding night!"

"Right. Sorry. I didn't- I forgot..." I mumbled, pulling my clothes off now that he wasn't look, slipping the gown on. "I'm done."

"You look beautiful, Mina." He murmured, walking over to me.

"...thank you."

"I- I scared you. You're the only one I don't want to scare."

"It's alright. I'm not scared anymore." I replied, glancing up at him, hoping that if I could keep him distracted long enough, Dean could get free from wherever he is.

"Good." He nodded, a thoughtful look coming into his eyes. "Everywhere I ran, everywhere I tried to hide, people found me, dragged me out, attacked me. Called me _freak_ , called me _monster_. The first person to ever say that was my dad. And then he tried to beat me to death with a shovel. But then- then I found _them_. The great monsters. In their movies, they were strong. They were feared. They were beautiful. And now I am like them. Commanding. Terrifying."

"Lonely."

" _Was_ lonely. Now I have you."

"Ever think that maybe you're lonely because you kill people?"

"Or I kill people _because_ I'm lonely." He muttered as something clattered in the next room, catching his attention. "Did you hear that?"

"What?" I asked, holding his arms, wrapping them around my waist. "I didn't hear anything."

"I should go look-"

"No! No, don't leave me." I called, staring up into his eyes, almost feeling bad for what I was doing. "Please."

"But-"

"I feel it now." I nodded, hoping my hunch was right and that it was Dean who knocked something over out there. "We're meant to be together."

"Yes." Dracula nodded, shutting his eyes for a moment. I took the opportunity to roll my eyes, quickly wiping the grimace off my face as he looked back down at me, not able to believe what was about to come out of my mouth.

"...take me."

"Mina..." He murmured, pushing my hair over my shoulder, staring down at my throat. I swallowed hard, watching as he bent down, his teeth nearly grazing my neck.

 _Holy fucking shit Dean, hurry the fuck up!_

Just then, the bedroom door burst open, revealing Sam. Dracula turned around, quickly throwing him against the wall, but instead of landing and hitting the floor, he went completely through it. It was then that I realized we were practically on a set somewhere.

"You will never be Van Helsing!" Dracula exclaimed as Dean ran into the room from behind, attacking him. They fought until Dracula got the upper hand, throwing Dean to the ground. "And you, Harker, now you die."

I scrambled across the bed for Sam's gun, that had fallen on the floor when he was thrown, picking it up before Dracula could attack Dean, shooting him in the chest.

"Silver?" He asked, turning to see me holding the gun, a look of peace in his eyes as he fell back into a chair. "It was beauty that killed the beast. Perhaps this is how the movie should end."

Dean stood to his feet, walking over to me, checking me for any injuries. "Are you okay?"

"Ye-" I paused, just now noticing the lederhosen. "What in the hell are you wearing?"

"I don't- I don't want to talk about it." Dean mumbled, shaking his head.

* * *

 **TOWN – DAY**

We left Dracula's house a little bruised, but it was nothing we haven't experienced before. Dean didn't seem to want to take his hands off me as we walked through the slightly crowded town, keeping an arm wrapped around my waste.

"So, you- I mean, you weren't actually gonna let him bite you, right?" Dean asked, glancing down at me.

"Well, no. I just hoped one of you would get your asses there fast enough. Thankfully, you did." I said, letting out a breath. "Is it weird that I kind of felt bad for him?"

"Is that why you were gonna let him bite you?"

"Dean."

"Sorry."

"Why?" Sam asked seriously.

"Because...I don't know. He was born that way and his life sucked. People tortured him. His father tried to kill him."

"That doesn't mean he had to go around killing people." Dean interjected.

"Of course not. I just wonder, if he choose to go another route, if he didn't choose to kill, I mean, he could be walking around out here right now and we wouldn't even know it."

"Probably. But he didn't."

"Doesn't change what could've been though."

"No, but what happened, happened."

"Yeah, I know." I nodded, leaning more into Dean's side.

"All in all, a happy ending. The hero gets the girl, monster gets the gank. It would be nice if life was _movie_ simple. Although, if I was turning life into a movie, I wouldn't do this _Abbott and Costello_ meet the monster shit."

"Yeah, no. I know what you'd pick." Sam muttered.

"No, you don't."

"Yeah, I do."

"No. You don't."

"Yeah. I do."

"Oh, yeah? What is it?"

"Porky's II." Sam said with a straight face, making me chuckle.

Dean glanced over at his brother, looking back in front of us as we walked. "Lucky guess."

* * *

 **Finally, you got a small peek into the kinkier side of Tori and Dean's sex life...it was only a matter of time lol**

 **Also, I just had to pick a song almost as ridiculous as this episode...I love it though, I really do ;D**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Twitter: phoenixwrites79  
Instagram: phoenixwritesfanfiction **


	9. Yellow Fever

_Maybe I'm broken, maybe I'm wrong  
I could've spoken sooner than I should  
If only the good die old  
That's what they told me, but I don't know_

 _..._

 _Maybe I'm destined to be distraught_  
 _Always a reason_  
 _Breaking me down to my knees in the dead of night_  
 _I keep on praying to see the light  
Maybe I'm breaking up with myself  
Maybe I'm thinking I should just keep to the things that I've been told  
Wait for the colors to turn to gold_

 _Do you know?  
Do you know?  
You're all I know, you're all I know  
When everything comes crashing down  
You're all I know, you're all I know_

 _I'm ready for the fall  
I'm ready for everything that I believed in to drift away  
Ready for the leaves  
Ready for the colors to burn to gold and crumble away _

_**Imagine Dragons – The Fall**_

* * *

The coroner stood in front of us inside the morgue, slowly unzipping the black body bag lying on the tray in front of us. I took a deep breath, waiting for what was definitely my least favorite part of what we did.

You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but it just didn't happen.

"Alright Agents, meet Frank O'Brien." He muttered, glancing up at us.

"He died of a heart attack, right?" I asked.

"Three days ago."

"But O'Brien was forty-four years old and, according to this – a marathon runner." Sam said, holding up the piece of paper he had.

"Everybody drops dead sooner or later. It's why I got job security." The man mumbled in front of us, leaning on the table.

"Yeah, but Frank kicked it here. Now, just yesterday, two perfectly healthy men bit it in Maumee. All heart attacks, you don't think that's strange?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

The coroner shrugged nonchalantly. "Sounds like Maumee's problem to me. Why's the FBI give a damn, anyway?"

"We just want to see the results of Frank's autopsy." I said, folding my arms.

"What autopsy?".

"The one you're gonna do." I nodded to the body. He grabbed the small scalpel and started making incisions in Frank's chest. I looked away from what he was doing, glancing over Dean's shoulder.

"First dead body?" The coroner asked.

"Far from it." Dean muttered.

"Oh, good. Because these suckers can get pretty ripe. Hey, hand me those rib cutters, would you?" He asked, holding his hand out.

I took a deep breath, glancing up at Sam – who seemed to be preparing himself as well, as Dean handed the cutters to the Coroner. He didn't waste any time and started cutting right into the mans ribs. I tried to zone out, but all I could hear was one loud crunch after another.

"Is that from a wedding ring?" Dean asked. I looked over, seeing him staring down at Franks left hand, where his ring finger had a slight indentation on it. "I didn't think Frank was married."

"Ain't my department." The Coroner mumbled.

"Any idea how he got these?" Sam asked, picking up Franks arm – which was covered in scratches.

"You know what? When you drop dead, you actually tend to drop. Body probably got scraped up when it hit the ground." He said, furrowing his eyebrows down at the body. "Huh."

"What?"

"I-I can't find any blockages in any of the major arteries." He said, pulling Frank's heart out of his chest.

"Oh, okay." I mumbled. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dean making vomit faces and I hoped to god he didn't puke on me.

"Heart looks pretty damn healthy." The coroner mumbled, handing the heart to Dean, who's eyes went wide as he looked down to the heart in his hands. "Hold that a second, would you?"

I glanced over to see Sam smirking at his brothers discomfort. The coroner went back to examining the body, when suddenly I felt something slightly warm hit the side of my face. I quickly shut my eyes, hearing a small squeak come out of my mouth, opening the one eye that didn't get hit. I turned to Sam, seeing that he'd also been hit, but not as badly.

"Oh, sorry. Spleen juice." The Coroner mumbled. I saw Dean smirk out of the corner of my eye and I quickly grabbed his arm to wipe my face off on his sleeve, completely forgetting about acting professional.

"Ew."

* * *

 **SHERIFF'S STATION – DAY**

Once I cleaned off all the _spleen juice,_ the three of us headed over to the police station to speak to the sheriff. I sat in between Sam and Dean, looking around the small room, noticing how the guy sitting behind the desk kept making googly eyes at Dean.

"You have an admirer." I mumbled, nudging Dean's arm, nodding over to the guy.

"What?" Dean asked, looking up, making eye contact with the man for a moment. He smiled at Dean, blushing lightly before looking back down to the desk. "Oh...okay."

"He's kinda cute. I think you should go for it." I grinned. Dean rolled his eyes, ignoring me as the door tot he office opened and a tall man with graying hair stood in the doorway.

"Hell's bells, Linus, have you seen my-" He stopped, spotting the three of us sitting there. "Who are they?"

"Federal agents." Linus answered as we stood, staying in front of our seats. "I, uh-"

"And you kept them waiting?" The sheriff asked, slightly annoyed.

"You- you said not to disturb."

"Come on back." The sheriff called over to us, ignoring Linus. He held his hand out to stop us before we walked into the office, nodding down to our feet. "Shoes off." The three of us exchanged a look, slipping our shoes off before entering his office. He smiled, shaking our hands. "Al Britton. Good to meet you."

"You too." Sam nodded.

"Have a seat."

"Thanks." I muttered, sitting in the middle of three chairs across from his desk.

I watched on as he took out a huge container of hand sanitizer, pumping a bunch of it into his hands, rubbing them together furiously. I raised an eyebrow, glancing over at Sam and Dean – who both seemed to be staring on, slightly confused.

"Okay. So, what can I do for uncle Sam?" Britton asked, sitting down.

I cleared my throat, moving forward in my chair. "Well, we're looking into the death of Frank O'Brien. We understand some of your men found his body."

"They did. Me and Frank, we were friends. Hell, we were gamecocks."

I was proud of myself that I held in my smirk. Dean, however, did not possess the same level of self control, as I heard him snicker to my right. I lightly stepped on his sock-covered foot with my own as the Sheriff shot him a hard look.

"That's our softball team's name." Britton told Dean, who just nodded – looking down at his lap. "They're majestic animals."

There was a slight pause in the conversation as we all tried desperately to recover from that strange moment. The Sheriff took a breath and shook his head, continuing.

"I knew Frank since high school. To be honest, I just this morning got up the strength to go see him. Frank was...he was a good man."

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "Big heart."

I shook my head, a small grin on my face as I glanced over Dean, who looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Before he died, did you notice frank acting strange?" Sam asked. "Maybe scared of something?"

"Oh hell, yeah. Real jumpy."

"You know what scared him?" I asked.

"No. Wouldn't answer his phone. Finally, I sent some of my boys over to check on him, and well, you know the rest." Britton said, pouring more hand sanitizer on his hands. Dean furrowed his brows, looking over at Sam and I in question. "So, why the Feds give a crap? You don't really think there's a case here?"

"No, no. It's probably nothing. Just a heart attack." Dean nodded.

* * *

After we finished up with Sheriff Britton, we made our way back outside towards the Impala.

"No way that was a heart attack." Dean said.

"Definitely no way." I agreed.

"Three victims, all with those same red scratches. All went from jittery to terrified to dead within forty-eight hours?" Sam asked. "Not a heart attack."

"So something scared them to death?" Dean asked.

"All right, so what can do that?"

"What can't? Ghosts, vampires, chupacabra? It could be a hundred things."

"Yeah." I nodded. "So, we make a list and start crossing things off."

"Alright, who's the last person to see Frank O'Brien alive?" Dean asked.

"Uh, his neighbor, Mark Hutchins." Sam said.

We walked a few more feet when Dean suddenly stopped, putting his arm out in front of me. "Hang on, hang on."

"What?" I asked.

"I don't like the looks of those teenagers down there." Dean muttered. I glanced over Dean's shoulder to see the least threatening group of teenage boys I'd ever laid eyes on standing on the sidewalk next to the Impala. "Let's walk this way."

Dean looked both ways before walking across the street, keeping up a good pace until he got to the sidewalk. I stayed next to Sam, the both of us watching Dean in confusion.

"What the hell?"

"I have no idea." Sam answered with a slight shrug. I sighed, starting to feel worried about him.

What the hell was going on with him?

 **HUTCHINS HOUSE – DAY**

The couch that we were sitting on was rather small, leaving me squished in between Sam and Dean. I glanced around at all the tanks filled with reptiles Mark had around his house.

It was an interesting collection, that's for sure.

"So, the last time you saw Frank O'Brien?" Sam asked.

Suddenly, Dean's head snapped up, facing forward. I practically heard him swallow as his eyes darted around the room nervously. He'd been so jumpy the past few hours, and I was getting increasingly worried about him.

"Monday." Mark answered Sam, petting the small snake he was holding on top of it's head. "He was watching me from his window. I waved at him, but he just closed the curtains."

"Did you speak to him recently?" I asked. "Did he seem different or scared?"

"Oh, totally. He was freaking out." Mark nodded. I glanced over at Dean, who seemed to be breathing heavier.

"Do you know, uh..do you know what scared him?" Dean asked in between breaths, not making eye contact with Mark.

"Well, yeah, witches."

" _Witches_?" I asked, getting slightly tense. "Like...?"

"Well, _Wizard of Oz_ was on TV the other night, right? And he said that green bitch was totally out to get him." Mark explained. I felt myself relax as the possibility of real witches being the problem seemed to lessen.

"Anything else scare him?" Sam asked.

"Everything else scared him. Al-Qaeda, ferrets, artificial sweetener. Those pez dispensers with their dead little eyes. Lots of stuff."

"What was Frank like?" I asked.

"I mean, he's dead, you know? I- I don't want to hammer him but...he got better."

" _He got better_?"

"Well, in high school he was- he was a dick." Mark said with a shrug.

"A dick?" Sam repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Like a bully. I mean, he probably taped half the town's butt cheeks together." Mark said, causing Dean to chuckle. "Mine included."

Dean wiped the smile off of his face at that, trying to seem serious. "So he pissed a lot of people off. You think anyone would have wanted to get revenge?"

"Well, I don't- Frank had a heart attack, right?"

"Just answer the question, sir." Sam said.

"No, I don't think so. Like I said, he got better. And after what happened to his wife..."

"His wife?" I asked. "So, he _was_ married."

"She died about twenty years ago. Frank was really broken up about it." Mark nodded, suddenly smiling over at Dean, who was staring over at the small snake around Mark's. "Don't be scared of Donny. He's a sweetheart. It's Marie you got to look out for. She smells fear."

Just then, a huge white and yellow snake came up over the back of the couch, peering at us for a moment. Dean gasped loudly, going completely still as it slithered down his lap.

* * *

 **IMPALA – DAY**

Trying to pass some time, I kept my eyes trained on the trees across the way as I sat in the passenger seat of the Impala, waiting for Sam to get back so we could just go to the motel. I heard slight scratching next to me and looked over to see Dean itching the shit out of his arm.

"Hey, whoa, stop that." I called, reaching over to still his hand.

Dean looked up at me, a slightly apologetic look in his eyes. "Sorry."

"What's going on with you, baby?" I asked.

I began running my fingers through Dean's hair, watching his eyes close as he leaned his head back on the headrest, looking the most relaxed that I'd seen him since we got here. Suddenly Sam opened the back door, causing Dean to jump about ten feet in the air. I placed hand on his shoulder, stilling him as he breathed heavily.

"Hey." Sam called, getting into the backseat. "Any luck at the county clerk's office?"

"Well, I'm not sure I'd call it luck." I mumbled, rubbing Dean's arm gently to try and calm him down. "Frank's wife, Jessie, was manic-depressive. She went off her meds back in eighty-eight and vanished. They found her two weeks later, three towns over, in a motel room...dead. It was suicide."

"Any chance Frank helped her along to the other side?"

"No, Frank was working the swing shift when she disappeared. Airtight alibi." Dean said, starting the car. "How was Frank's pad?"

"Clean. Searched it top to bottom. No EMF, no hex bags, no sulfur."

"So probably no ghosts, no witches, no demons." I said, hearing Sam huff tiredly behind me.

"Three down and ninety seven to go." Dean mumbled.

Some time passed and I felt like something was severely off. The trees weren't flying past the window nearly as fast as they normally did. I glanced over at the speedometer, blinking a few times just to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

"Uh, baby? You're going twenty."

"And?"

"That's the speed limit." Sam added.

"What? Safety's a crime now?" Dean asked, not taking his eyes off the road for a second. I settled back down into the seat, not wanting to upset him anymore than he already seemed to be, out of fear of him losing it and crashing the car.

After a moment, I noticed that he'd driven straight through the intersection, missing the turn to the motel.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"I'm not gonna make a left-hand turn into oncoming traffic. I'm not suicidal." Dean said obviously. I glanced back at Sam, who looked just as confused as I felt. "Did I just say that? That was kind of weird."

Suddenly, a low beeping sounded from the backseat, getting louder as Sam pulled out the EMF meter, and the closer he moved it to Dean, the more frantic the beeping got. I saw the moment panic took over Dean as his eyes went wide.

"Am I haunted? _Am I haunted_?!"

* * *

I'd left Sam to finish talking to Bobby while I went to get some doughnuts for Dean, assuming he was hungry. After I'd gotten them, I walked back over to Sam, who was finally off the phone. The two of us headed over to the Impala, hearing _Eye of the Tiger_ blasting from the speakers.

Sam ran in front of me a bit to bang on the roof of the car, scaring Dean, who quickly sat up. Once he noticed it was just us, he relaxed a bit, getting out of the car.

"Look at this." Dean said, showing us his arm that was covered in scratches. I made my way over to him, inspecting them, running a few fingers over the cut skin before reaching up to place a kiss on his lips, handing him the box.

"I just talked to Bobby." Sam announced.

"And?" Dean asked, opening the bot to sniff the doughnuts. He made a face, throwing them back into the car.

"Um, well, you're not gonna like it." Sam mumbled.

I leaned against the car, next to Dean, wrapping an arm around his mid-section. "What?"

"It's ghost sickness."

"Ghost sickness?" Dean asked.

"Yeah."

"God, no."

"Yeah."

"I don't even know what that is." Dean admitted with a shrug.

"Okay. Some cultures believe that certain spirits can infect the living with a disease, which is why they stopped displaying bodies in houses and started taking them off to funeral homes."

"Okay, get to the good stuff."

"Symptoms are you get anxious..." Sam started.

"Yeah." Dean nodded.

"Then scared, then really scared...then your heart gives out. Sound familiar?"

"But that can't be what Dean has." I said. "We haven't seen a ghost in weeks."

"Well, I doubt he caught it from a ghost. Look, once a spirit infects that first person, Ghost sickness can spread like any sickness through a cough, a handshake, whatever. It's like the flu. Now, Frank O'Brien was the first to die, which means he was probably the first infected. Patient zero."

"Our very own outbreak monkey." Dean mumbled.

"Right." Sam nodded. "Get this, Frank was in Maumee over the weekend. Softball tournament. Which is where he must have infected the other two victims."

"Were they gamecocks?" I asked, smirking.

" _Cornjerkers_." Sam grinned.

"So, ghosts infected Frank, he passed it on to the other guys and Dean got it from his corpse?"

"Right."

"So now what, I have forty-eight hours before I go insane and my heart stops?" Dean asked, breathing a bit heavier.

"More like twenty-four."

"What?!" I exclaimed, my eyes going wide. "That's impossible."

"It's not." Sam said.

"Super." Dean mumbled. "Well, why me? Why not you? I mean, you both got hit with the spleen juice."

"Yeah, um, you see Bobby and I have a theory about that, too. Turns out all three victims shared a certain, uh, personality type. Frank was a bully. The other two victims, one was a vice principal, the other was a bouncer."

"Okay..."

"Basically, they were all dicks."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying I'm a dick?"

"No, no, no. It's not just that. All three victims used fear as a weapon, and now this disease is just returning the favor."

"I don't scare people."

"Dean, all we do is scare people." Sam told him.

"Okay, well then, you're a dick, too."

"Apparently not."

"Okay, well how do we stop this?" I asked.

"We gank the ghost that started all this. We do that, the disease should clear up." Sam explained.

"But who? Frank's wife?"

"Who knows why she killed herself, you know?" Sam asked, with a shrug, looking over to Dean. "Hey, what are you doing waiting out here, anyway?"

"Our room's on the fourth floor." Dean muttered, a sheepish look on his face when I glanced up at him. "It's- it's high."

I rubbed his stomach, reaching up to place a kiss on his neck. "I'll see if I can move us down to the first."

"Thanks." Dean replied quietly, moving to get back in the Impala.

"No problem, baby." I smiled, lowering my voice as I turned to Sam. "Watch him like a hawk."

"Yeah." Sam nodded, leaning against the car.

"I'll be right back."

* * *

 **MOTEL – DAY**

Once I got our room moved down to the first floor, Sam had gone to the store real quick for some beer, so I took the time I had alone with Dean to try and make him feel a bit more comfortable.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, sitting down next to him as he stared straight ahead.

"I don't know."

"Well, I think I know what'll make you feel better." I hinted, running my hand down his leg.

Dean looked over at me, his breathing getting heavy as I leaned in to kiss him. Dean placed his hands on my hips as I climbed onto his lap, my legs on either side of his. I leaned back, pulling my shirt off, moving to unbutton his jeans as he ran his hands over my chest.

Right now, he seemed like his normal self, not worried at all.

Just as I was about to pull his zipper down, he grabbed my wrists, stopping me.

"What's the matter?" I asked, looking up into his panic stricken eyes. "Dean, what's wrong?"

"We can't. I mean, what if- what if you get pregnant or something?"

"Pregnant? We- I'm not going to get pregnant. We're fine."

"Yeah, but birth control and stuff, it's not one hundred percent. You could get pregnant."

"Then I'll swallow." I grinned.

"Tori, I'm serious."

"Yeah, so am I."

"Oh, believe me, I know." Dean nodded, shooting me a pointed look as he smirked.

"Baby, I can promise you that I won't get pregnant." I said, cradling his face in my hands, seeing real worry in his eyes. "We don't have to do anything, if you're that worried about it."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." I murmured, placing a kiss on his lips, moving back to sit next to him on the couch, glancing down to his lap. "I could still take care of that, if you want."

Dean smiled down at me, looking very torn. "Thanks...but, uh, I think it'd be wise to keep my heart rate as regular as possible, if you know what I mean."

"You're probably right. I don't know what I was thinking. Sorry, baby." I muttered, smiling at him. "But hey, how about when all this is over, we'll shack up somewhere and won't come out for, like, a week?"

"That sounds great." Dean chuckled, wrapping an arm around my shoulder after I put my shirt back on, leaning into his side.

After some time had passed, I tried my hardest to stay awake, but eventually fell asleep on the couch in Dean's arms. Before I knew it, there was a loud shattering and my eyes snapped open to see Dean standing across the room, staring down at the shattered clock that was laying on the floor.

"Oh god, what happened?" I asked, sitting upright.

Dean glanced over at me, breathing heavily. "The ticking."

"The ticking?"

"It was just- it was just getting to me."

"Okay." I nodded, approaching him cautiously. "Why don't you go sit back down?"

"Yeah."

"Come on." I coaxed, bringing him back over to the couch before getting him another beer.

Just as I was about to clean up what was left of the clock, Sam came back into the room. "Everything alright?"

"Oh, yeah. Just peachy." Dean mumbled. "Find anything?"

"Yeah, Jessie O'Brien's body was cremated, so I'm pretty sure she is not our ghost." Sam said, sitting down, glancing over at me. "What happened?"

"Uh, the clock fell." I shrugged, finishing cleaning up whatever glass was left in the carpet before sitting back down next to Dean, who was scratching his arm again. "Stop that."

"How you feeling?" Sam asked.

"Awesome. It's nice to have my head on the chopping block again." Dean huffed. "I almost forgot what that feels like."

"Yeah..."

"It's freaking delightful."

I looked over at Dean, the fear of the situation really setting in. I don't know what I'd do if I lost him again. I don't know if I'd get him back this time.

"We'll keep looking." I said, placing a hand on his arm. Suddenly, Dean started to cough violently, which turned into choking.

"You okay?" Sam asked.

"Dean?" I called, following after him as he went over to the sink, spitting something out of his mouth. Dean quickly grabbed it, washing the blood off, revealing a small wood chip.

"We've been completely ignoring the biggest clue we have." Sam said, looking over at Dean. "You."

Dean pouted. "I don't want to be a clue."

"What if the abrasions, this disease, it's trying to tell us something?" I asked, looking up at the boys.

"Tell us what, wood chips?"

"Exactly." Sam nodded.

* * *

 **LUMBER MILL – DAY**

We stood at the trunk of the Impala, getting a few things out as Dean glanced up at the mill apprehensively, a scared look in his eyes.

"I'm not going in there."

"Dean." Sam started.

"Maybe he shouldn't." I said, looking over at Sam.

"What?"

"With everything going on, maybe he should just stay out here."

"Tori, I am just as worried about losing Dean again as you are. But we need him on this."

"Okay."

"Alright." Sam sighed, handing Dean a gun.

"Oh, I'm not carrying that. It could go off." Dean replied picking up a flashlight, clutching it to his chest. "I'll man the flashlight."

"You do that."

"It is a little spooky, isn't it?" Dean asked as Sam started walking ahead of us.

"I guess." I shrugged, turning to Dean. "I promise I'm not gonna leave your side, alright?"

"Thanks." Dean nodded, taking a swig of whiskey from a flask "I can do this."

"Yeah. You ready?"

"Yeah."

"Let's go."

"Okay." Dean mumbled, not moving.

"Baby, you gotta start walking."

"..how?"

"Come on, Dean, you can do this." I said, wrapping an arm through his, practically pulling him into the mill with me.

Sam stood a little ways inside, his EMF meter going crazy as soon as Dean entered the room. "EMF's not gonna work with me around, is it?"

"You don't say?" Sam mumbled sarcastically, looking over a pile of papers on the desk, finding something there. "Wait."

"What?!" Dean exclaimed, getting startled.

" _To Frank. Love, Jessie._ " Sam turned back around, rolling his eyes at his brother, holding up a ring. "Frank O'Brien's ring."

"What was Frank doing here?" I asked.

"No idea."

The three of us moved on through the mill, making our way into a room full of lockers, rustling coming from one of them. Sam moved over to it cautiously while I stood back with Dean behind me. Sam glanced back at us before opening the locker, releasing a cat.

Dean let out a loud scream, startling me as he clutched my arm for dear life, nearly cutting off the circulation. Sam and I stared over at him with wide eyes as he kept screaming, slowly quieting down, looking at me with a sheepish smile.

"That was scary."

"I don't think I've ever heard that sound come out of you before." I mumbled, glancing down to his fingers that were still digging into my arm. "Baby."

"Sorry." Dean apologized, quickly letting go, still staying close to my side.

Sam seemed to be ignoring us, making his way out of the room, finding an ID card on another desk. "Luther Garland."

"Hey, this is- this is Frank's wife." Dean said, pointing to a drawing lying there.

"And the plot thickens." I sighed.

"Yeah, but into what?"

As Dean tore the drawing off of the desk, all the machines turned on, startling him. Dean looked over into the corner of the room, his eyes going wide. Sam and I followed his gaze, seeing the apparition of a large man standing there. In the brief moment that I looked away from Dean, I turned around to find him running back out of the mill, the doors slamming shut behind him.

"Dean!" I called, running after him as I heard Sam shoot off a round of rock salt into the spirit. I rounded the corner of the Impala, finding Dean crouched down by the rear wheel, chugging more whiskey. I bent down in front of him, straightening out his jacket. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded, pausing before looking up into my eyes. "No."

"We'll get this figured out, okay? I promise. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. Not again." I said, the fierceness in my voice and sincerity in my eyes clear as day.

"I know."

* * *

 **SHERIFF STATION – DAY**

The whole time Sam was speaking to Linus, I saw him eying Dean from behind the counter, but it was more questioning this time rather than drooling over him.

"This is the Garland file." Linus said, handing Sam a folder, glancing back at Dean and I as I held him up to try and stop him from swaying. "Is he...drunk?"

"No." Sam replied quickly. "Deputy, according to this, Luther Garland's cause of death was physical trauma. What does that mean?"

"The guy died twenty years ago, before my time. Sorry."

"Then can we talk to the sheriff?"

"Um, he's out sick today."

"Well, if you see him, will you have him call us? We're staying at the Bluebird." Sam said, nodding to the folder in his hands. "Mind if I take this?"

"No." Linus muttered.

"You know what? You're awesome." Dean smiled, shooting a wink at Linus, who blushed again, a small smile on his lips.

"Thanks. Y- you, too."

"Okay." I nodded, gently pushing Dean towards the exit. "Time to go."

* * *

 **PEACEFUL PINES ASSISTED LIVING – NIGHT**

The three of us made our way down the pristine hallway, passing a few nurses on our way. Dean bumped into one of them, recoiling like shew was about to bite him. She shot him a strange look, shaking her head as she kept walking.

"This isn't gonna work." Dean mumbled. "Come on, these badges are fake. What if we get busted? We could go to jail."

"Dean!" I exclaimed quietly, pulling him to the side of the hallway, placing a hand on his chest. "Breathe. Take a deep breath."

"Okay." Dean nodded, his chest barely even filling.

"Come on, breathe. I want to feel it. Deep breath, okay?" I asked, pulling in a deep breath along with him, feeling his chest rise underneath my hand. "Feel better?"

"No."

"Just come on. And don't scratch." Sam called, glancing back at his brother. We made our way through the main room of the home, finding Mr. Garland sitting by himself at a table, staring out a window. "Mr. Garland. Hi uh, I'm agent Tyler. This is agent Perry, and agent Hamilton, FBI. We'd like to ask you a few questions about your brother Luther."

"Let me see some ID." Mr. Garland said.

"Certainly." Sam nodded, the three of us pulling out our ID's, showing him.

"Those are real, obviously. I mean, who would pretend to be an FBI agent, huh? That's just nutty." Dean said, a nervous smile on his face. I gently elbowed him in the side, silently telling him to stop.

"What do you want to know?" Mr. Garland asked, thankfully ignoring Dean.

"According to this, your brother Luther died of physical trauma." Sam said, gaining a scoff from the old man.

"You don't agree?" I asked.

"No, I don't."

"Well, then, what would you call it?" Sam asked.

"Don't matter what an old man thinks."

"Mr. Garland. We're just trying to get the truth on your brother. Please."

"Everybody was scared of Luther. They called him a monster. He was too big, too mean-looking. Just too different. Didn't matter he was the kindest man I ever knew. Didn't matter he'd never hurt no one. A lot of people failed Luther. I was one of them. I was a widower with three young'uns. And I told myself there was nothing I could do."

"Mr. Garland, do you recognize this woman?" I asked, showing him a picture of Jessie.

"It's Jessie O'Brien. Her man, Frank, killed Luther."

"How do you know that?"

"Everybody knows. They just don't talk about it. Jessie was a receptionist at the mill. She was always real nice to Luther, and he had a crush on her.. But Frank didn't like it. And when Jessie went missing, Frank was sure that Luther had done something to her. Turns out the old gal killed herself, but Frank didn't know that. They found Luther with a chain wrapped around his neck. He was dragged up and down the stretch outside that plant till he was past dead."

"And O'Brien was never arrested?" Dean asked.

"I screamed to every cop in town. They didn't want to look into Frank. He was a pillar of the community. My brother was just the town freak."

Sam nodded. "You must have hated Frank O'Brien."

"I did for a long time, but life's too short for hate, son. And Frank wasn't thinking straight. His wife had vanished, he was terrified. A damn shame he had to put Luther through the same, but...that's fear. It spreads and spreads."

* * *

Once we finished thanking Mr. Garland for his time, we made our way back out to the Impala, ready to leave.

"Now we know what these are-" Dean said, holding up his arm. "Road rash. And I'm guessing Luther swallowed some wood chips when he was being dragged down that road."

"Makes sense." Sam nodded. "You're experiencing his death in slow motion."

"Yeah well, not slow enough, huh? What do you say we burn some bones and get me healthy?" Dean asked. Sam and I exchanged a look, neither one of us really wanting to tell him the truth. Dean noticed the looks on our faces, quickly questioning us. "What's the matter?"

"Dean, it- it won't be that easy." Sam sighed.

"No, no, it'll be that easy. Why wouldn't it be that easy?"

"Luther was road-hauled. His body was ripped to pieces. He was probably scattered all over that road. There's no way we're gonna find all the remains."

"You're kidding me."

"Look, we'll just have to figure something else out."

"You know what? Screw this." Dean said, throwing his hands up, starting to walk away.

"Dean, wait." I called, grabbing his arm.

"Come on, Tor, what are we doing?"

"Hunting a ghost."

"A ghost. Exactly! Who does that?!"

"Us."

"Us? Right. And that Tori, that is exactly why our lives suck. I mean, come on, we hunt monsters! What the hell?! I mean, normal people, they see a monster, and they run. But not us, no, we search out things that want to kill us! Or eat us! You know who does that? Crazy people! We are insane! You know, and then there's the bad diner food and then the skeevy motel rooms-"

"Alright, sure." I nodded, realizing he was having some kind of mental break. "Just try and-"

"What? Calm down? Why? I mean, who wants this life? Huh? Seriously? Do you actually like being stuck in a car with me eight hours a day, every single day?" Dean asked, not giving either of us the chance to reply before he started again. "I don't think so! I mean, I drive too fast. And I listen to the same five albums over and over again, a- and I sing along."

"It's- I mean, it's not a big deal, Dean-"

"No, it is. I'm annoying, I know that." Dean said, looking over to Sam. "And you- you're gassy! You eat half a burrito, and you get toxic! You know what? You can forget it."

"Dean." Sam called as Dean thew him the keys.

"I'm done with the monsters and- and- and the hellhounds and the ghost sickness and the damn apocalypse. I'm out. I'm done. I quit." Dean said, walking away from us.

* * *

DPOV

After I'd made it a little ways down the road, I heard a low growling behind me. I turned around, not seeing anything, but knowing enough to realize that sound was coming from a hellhound. I started running in the opposite direction, hearing the barking get louder with every step I took. The panic started rising in my chest as I rounded the corner of a building, barely able to breath as the anxiety took over my chest.

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, I made my way back to the motel room, entering to find Sam already inside.

"Where's Tori?" I asked.

"Still out looking for you." Sam said. "How the hell did you get here?"

"Ran. What do we do now? I got less than four hours on the clock. I'm gonna die, Sammy."

"Yeah, you are. You're going back."

" _Back_?"

"Downstairs, Dean To hell. It's about damn time, too. Truth is, you've been a real pain in my ass." Sam said, turning to look at me with bright yellow eyes, throwing me against the wall with a flick of his wrist.

"No! You get out of my brother, you evil son of a bitch!"

"No one's possessing me, Dean. This is what I'm going to become. This is what I want to become. There's nothing you can do about it."

* * *

TPOV 

After taking some time to look for Dean, Sam and I decided to head back to the motel, hoping he'd end up there at some point. But I'd already told myself that if he wasn't back within an hour, I was going out looking for him again.

As I entered the room, I heard the sound of Dean choking, looking over to see him on the floor on the other side of the room, staring blankly at nothing. I rushed over to his side with Sam close behind me, quickly taking his face in my hands.

"Dean?" I called, trying to get his attention, shaking him slightly. Eventually, he blinked a few times, jumping back a little when he saw Sam and I standing there. "What happened?"

"I don't- I don't know." Dean mumbled as Sam and I helped him off the floor and onto the couch.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked.

"Are you, you?"

"What? Yeah."

Dean nodded slowly, leaning back on the couch, a troubled look in his eyes. I made my way over to Sam across the room, speaking in a hushed voice. "I can't leave him like this."

"You're right."

"Bobby's still coming, isn't he?"

"Yeah."

"You guys will be okay, won't you?"

"Yeah."

* * *

SPOV 

After leaving Tori and Dean back at the motel, I made my way to the mill to wait for Bobby. I leaned against the side of the Impala, hearing Bobby's car pull up, watching as he got out, making his way over.

"Howdy, Sam."

"Hey, Bobby. Thanks for coming so quick."

"Where's Dean?"

"Uh, home sick."

"And Vic?"

"With Dean."

"Of course." Bobby nodded, letting out a sigh. "So, have his hallucinations started yet?"

"Yeah, a few hours ago."

"How we doing on time?"

"We saw the coroner about eight AM on Monday morning, so just under two hours." I sighed. "What about you? You find anything?"

"This uh, encyclopaedia of spirits dates to the Edo period." Bobby said, handing me a book full of Japanese text.

"You can read this?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as Bobby rattled off a response in Japanese. "Guess so. Show-off."

"Anyway, this book lists a kind of ghost that could be our guy. It infects people with fear. It's called a Buru Buru."

"Does it say how to kill it?"

"Same as usual. Burn the remains."

"Wonderful. Is there a Plan B?"

"Well, the Buru Buru is born of fear. Hell, it is fear. And the lore says we can kill it with fear."

"So we have to scare a ghost to death?" I asked.

"Pretty much." Bobby nodded.

"How the hell are we gonna do that?"

* * *

TPOV 

Dean leaned into my side as I sat next to him, his head resting on my shoulder while I ran my fingers through his hair, trying to do anything I could to keep him relaxed. I barely even registered what was on until Dean groaned, and I looked up to see Gumby being dragged across the ground with a lasso around his neck. I quickly reached for the remote, shutting the TV off altogether.

"We'll get through this." I muttered. "I promise."

"Yeah." Dean nodded, taking a swig of his beer.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, pulling it out, seeing Sam's name flash across the screen. "Hey, how's it going?"

" _Alright. We got a plan._ "

"Which is?"

" _Uh...scare the ghost to death._ "

"Excuse me?" I asked, my eyes going wide as I got up from the couch, moving away from Dean slightly so he couldn't hear what Sam was saying. He barely even paid attention to the fact that I moved, staring across the room at the wall. "What the hell do you mean?"

" _It's a Buru Buru, that's what you have to do. Bobby found it._ "

"Has Bobby been drinking more than normal?"

" _This is a good plan._ "

"This is a terrible plan." I hissed, keeping my voice low.

" _Yeah, maybe. But it's the only one we got, so-_ "

"Sam, we don't have a lot of time."

" _Tori, it'll be okay, alright?_ "

"Yeah." I nodded.

" _How's Dean?_ "

"Out of it. Really, really out of it."

" _Just keep doing what you're doing. Hang in there, okay?_ "

"Yeah." I nodded, hanging up. Just then, Dean's head whipped up. I didn't hear anything, but he looked terrified. "Dean, are you okay?"

"The hellhounds..."

"Hellhounds?" I asked, looking around the room. "I don't see them, Dean. They're not real okay."

"You can't hear that?"

"No, I don't hear anything." I said, sitting down next to him again. "It's not real, alright?"

* * *

SPOV 

" _Any luck?_ " Bobby asked over the walkie-talkie.

"I don't know what's wrong, Bobby. Last time he came right at us. It's almost like he's- like he's scared." I replied, putting my shotgun down.

"So now what?"

"I guess I got to make him angry." I shrugged, starting to tear up all of the drawing he had pasted to the wall. "Hey, Luther! (Come on, Luther! Where the hell are you? What are you waiting for?"

Suddenly, the machines came to life and I turned around, seeing Luther standing behind me.

* * *

DPOV 

Tori said she couldn't hear the hellhounds, but I don't know how. They were so loud. It sounded like they were right next to me. I looked down to the ground, scratching my arms, hearing Sam's voice echoed through my mind.

" _You're going back. It's about damn time, too_."

As I scratched my arms, I glanced down to the watch, seeing that time was really starting to run out now. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the edge of something on the floor sticking out from underneath the coffee table, I picked it up, seeing that I was holding a bible.

"Hi, Dean." I heard Tori call, looking up to see her sitting next to me, but it wasn't her. At all.

Instead of her normal hazel eyes, there was no color to them at all. They were pure white.

"Lilith?"

"It's me, Dean!" She exclaimed, hugging me tightly. "Oh, I missed you so much. It's time to go back now."

"You- you are not real!" I muttered, moving away from her.

"What's the matter, Dean? Don't you remember all the fun you had down there?" She asked. "You do remember. Four months is like forty years in hell. Like doggy years. And you remember every second. Just like Tori. I saw it when I possessed her. And guess what? She even knows about the last month. The last ten years...when you gave up."

"No..."

"She saw everything. Every blade you sunk into all those damned souls. She saw it all."

"No!"

"Oh, yes!" She smiled sinisterly, walking over to me, standing above me as I leaned on the foot of the bed, clutching my chest.

"You are not real."

"It doesn't matter. You're still gonna die. You're still gonna burn."

"Why me? Why'd I get infected?"

"Silly goose. You know why, Dean. Listen to your heart."

"What?"

"Listen to how hard it's beating. How fast. You feel it pumping inside your chest, don't you?" She asked, kneeling down in front of me, taking my face in her hands. "You can feel it stopping, can't you? It's slowing down, and it'll keep slowing...right...until...it...stops."

* * *

SPOV 

After struggling with Luther's spirit for what felt like forever, I finally managed to wrap the chain around his neck.

"Bobby, punch it!" I shouted, stepping back as Luther's spirit was dragged back across the road until he disappearing from view.

* * *

TPOV 

"Dean!" I called for what felt like the millionth time, cradling his face in my hands. "Baby, come on. Don't do this. Don't leave me again. Please."

Suddenly, Dean let out a cough, looking up into my eyes with his own wide ones, a small amount of fear there. "...what?"

"Are you okay?"

"Ye- yeah." Dean nodded. I pulled him to me, hugging him tightly.

* * *

After Dean had recovered from his last hallucination, we made our way out to see Bobby and Sam near the mill. I asked Dean quite a few times what had happened on our way over, but he refused to tell me.

Which immediately told me that whatever it was...it was bad.

"So you guys road-hauled a ghost with a chain?" Dean asked, an arm still wrapped around my waist as we leaned against the Impala.

"Iron chain etched with spell work." Sam nodded.

"That's a new one."

"It was what he was most afraid of. It was pretty brutal, though."

"On the upside, I'm still alive, so go team."

"Yeah. How you feeling, by the way?"

"Fine."

"You sure, Dean?" Bobby asked, raising an eyebrow. "'Cause this line of work can get awful scary."

"I'm fine. You want to go hunting? I'll hunt." Dean shrugged. "I'll kill anything."

"Aw, he's adorable." Bobby laughed, heading back to his car. "I got to get out of here. You kids drive safe."

"You too, Bobby." I called, smiling at him. "Thanks."

"Yeah."

Sam waited until after Bobby left, glancing over at Dean. "So uh...so, what did you see? Near the end, I mean."

"Howler monkeys. Whole room full of them." Dean said, gaining a pointed look from Sam. "What? Those things creep the hell out of me."

"Right."

"No, just the usual stuff, Sammy. Nothing I can't handle."

I could tell that Dean was hiding something from us, just with the way he looked at me. The way he stared into my eyes a look of fear crossing his for a moment before looking away. I didn't want to push him to talk about things he wasn't ready to, but at the same time, I felt as thought I'd never get an answer if I didn't.

Either way, I wasn't going to pressure him now, not after everything that had just happened. I was just glad that he was, for the most part, okay and that I didn't lose him again. Anything else, we could figure out over time.

* * *

 **Last update for today! Yellow Fever is one of my favorite episodes, so I hope I did it justice :D**

 **As always, thanks for reading!**

 **Twitter: phoenixwrites79  
Instagram: phoenixwritesfanfiction **


	10. It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester

I _was born of the womb of a poisonous spell  
Beaten and broken and chased from the land  
But I rise up above it  
High up above it and see  
I was hung from a tree made of tongues of the weak  
The branches, the bones of the liars, the thieves  
Rise up above it  
High up above it and see_

… _._

 _Blessed by a bitch from a bastard's seed_  
 _Pleasure to meet you, prepare to bleed_  
 _Rise, I'll rise, I'll rise_  
 _Skinned her alive, ripped her apart_  
 _Scattered her ashes, buried her heart_  
 _Rise up above it  
High up above it and see_

 _Pray to your God, open your heart_  
 _Whatever you do, don't be afraid of the dark_  
 _Cover your eyes, the devil's inside_

… _._

 _Honest to God, I will break your heart_  
 _Tear you to pieces and rip you apart_  
 _Honest to God, I will break your heart_  
 _Tear you to pieces and rip you apart_

 _One night of the hunter  
One day I will get revenge  
One night to remember  
One day it'll all just end_

 _ **Thirty Seconds To Mars – Night of the Hunter**_

* * *

After leaving Colorado, we had gotten back into the swing of things. Dean still wouldn't tell me all of what he'd seen back when he was under the influence of the ghost sickness, only part of it, but that part was all I really needed to know.

He'd seen Sam with yellow eyes. Lilith possessing me, the both of us telling him he was going back to hell.

I tried to reassuring him that I would never let that happen again, ever. But I could tell there was still a part of him that was scared, thinking about it with every day that passed.

"Now how many razor blades did they find?" Sam asked the woman standing in front of us, tears still running down her cheeks, snapping me out of my trance.

"Two on the floor, one in his stomach and one was stuck in his throat. He swallowed four of them. How is that even possible?" She asked, glancing over at Dean, who was poking around the front of the stove, looking inside the oven. "The candy was never in the oven."

Dean stood upright, glancing back to her. "We just have to be thorough, Mrs. Wallace."

"Did the police find any razors in the other candy?" I asked.

"No." She replied. "I mean, I don't think so. I just- I can't believe it. You hear urban legends about this stuff, but it actually happens?"

"More than you might imagine." Sam nodded as Dean showed the both of us a hex bag he'd found behind Mrs. Wallace's back so he couldn't see. "Mrs. Wallace, did Luke have any enemies?"

"Enemies?"

"Anyone who might have held a grudge against him?"

"What do you mean?"

"Was there anyone who might have had any kind of ill-will towards him?" I asked. "A co-worker or neighbor. Maybe a woman?"

"Are you suggesting an affair?" Mrs. Wallace asked, clearly offended.

"Is it possible?"

"No! No, Luke would never."

"I'm sorry, we just have to cover all bases. Consider all the possibilities."

"If someone wanted to kill my husband, don't you think they'd find a better way than a razor in a piece of candy he _might_ eat?"

* * *

 **MOTEL – NIGHT**

Back at the motel, Sam was sitting on the couch with his laptop while I sat at the table, various books scattered around me. Flipping through a few pages of one of them, my eyes started getting unfocused. I let out a sigh, leaning back in my seat, glancing over at Dean, who was sitting on the bed. I watched as he unwrapped another piece of candy, popping it into his mouth.

"Really?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow. "After that guy choked down all those razor blades?"

"It's Halloween, man."

"Don't worry, I checked the candy before I let him have it." I muttered.

"Are you his girlfriend or his mother?" Sam grinned. "Dude, everyday for us is Halloween."

"Don't be a downer." Dean mumbled around the chocolate in his mouth. "Anything interesting?"

"Well, we're on a witch hunt, that's for sure, but this isn't your typical hex bag." Sam explained, picking up a few of the pieces as he named them. "Goldthread. An herb that's been extinct for two hundred years. And this is Celtic. And I don't mean some new age knock-off, it looks like the real deal, like six hundred years old real."

"Huh." Dean nodded, picking up a small, burnt piece, smelling it.

I quickly grabbed it back from him, a grimace on my face. "And that is the charred metacarpal bone of a newborn baby."

"Oh. Jesus." Dean huffed in disgust, putting the bone back into the hex bag. "Gross."

"Relax man, it's like, at least a hundred years old." Sam shrugged.

"Oh, right, like that makes it better? Witches, man, they're so fucking skeevy."

"Yeah, well it takes a pretty powerful one to put a bag like this together. More juice than we've ever dealt with, that's for sure."

"What would someone like that have to do with Luke Wallace? He was so vanilla that he made vanilla seem spicy. I just can't find any reason why somebody would want this guy dead."

"Well, what do we do?" I asked, looking between the two boys. "I mean, we don't have any leads."

"We'll figure something out, I guess." Sam muttered, his phone ringing. With a sigh, he grabbed it out of his pocket, flipping it open. "Yeah? Really? Okay, we'll be right there."

"What happened?"

"Suit up. Some kids were have a Halloween party and a girl drowned."

"How?" Dean asked.

"Bobbing for apples."

* * *

 **BASEMENT – NIGHT**

The three of us made our way down the creaky steps to the dimly lit basement, avoiding the various Halloween decorations and fake spider webs that were strung up all over the place. One of the forensics was taking pictures of the tub full of water and apples, the one I'm assuming Jenny died in.

Across the way a police officer was speaking to a young blonde in a cheerleader costume as she wrapped her arms around herself, looking distressed.

"Have you been drinking?" He asked.

"Yes." She replied.

Sam moved to go speak to her, but Dean held his hand out, licking his lips. "I got this one."

"I don't think so." I said, grabbed the collar of his jacket, pulling him back as he started walking forward. Dean looked back, his lips pursed. "You want Chris Hansen on your ass?"

"I would never-"

"Oh, sure." I mumbled, rolling my eyes as I walked over to the girl with Dean while Sam went to check the couch cushions for hex bags.

"It's just so weird." She continued to the cop. "The water in the tub – it wasn't hot, I had just been in there myself."

"Did you or your friend know a Luke Wallace?"

"I'm sorry?" She asked as I held up my badge.

"Agent Sinclair, FBI. This is my partner agent Seger." I said, nodding over to Dean, glancing back to see him smirking at her. I subtly elbowed him in the stomach, shooting the girl a small smile. "You are?"

"Uh, Tracy. Tracy Davis. Who's Luke Wallace?"

"He died yesterday."

"I don't know who that is." She muttered.

I glanced over Tracy's shoulder seeing Sam holding up another hex bag, quickly placing it in his back pocket. "Okay. Well, thanks for your time."

"She."

"Sorry for your loss."

"Yeah." She nodded, a strange look coming into her eyes. I furrowed my brow, definitely catching it as Dean and I walked back over to Sam, the three of us leaving.

* * *

 **MOTEL – NIGHT**

Once again, we were back at the motel, trying to do any research we could from here considering it was fairly late and there wasn't much we could do anywhere else. Dean tapped his fingers on the table in front of me, letting out a heavy sigh as he read from the laptop.

"Anything?" Sam asked from the bed.

"No. I'm telling you, both these vics are squeaky clean. There is no reason for a wicked bitch payback."

"Maybe 'cause it's not about that."

"Wow, insightful."

"No, no. He might be right." I interjected.

"What?" Sam and Dean asked in unison, both of them surprised by what I'd said.

"Yeah. Maybe this has nothing to do with a grudge, but a spell. Listen." I started, reading from the book in front of me. "Three blood sacrifices must be made over three days, the last before midnight on the final day of the final harvest."

"Okay." Dean nodded.

"Well, in the Celtic Calendar, the final day of the final harvest is October thirty-first."

"Halloween."

"Yup."

"What exactly are the, uh, blood sacrifices for?"

"Summoning a demon. But not just any demon – Samhain."

Dean looked up at me, raising an eyebrow as he shrugged. "Am I supposed to be impressed?"

"Dean, Samhain is the damn origin of Halloween." Sam interjected. "The Celts believe that October thirty-first was the one night of the year when the veil was the thinnest between the living and the dead, and it was Samhain's night. I mean, masks were put on to hide from him, sweets left on doorsteps to appease him, faces carved into pumpkins to worship him. He was exorcised centuries ago."

"So even though Samhain took a trip downstairs, the tradition stuck."

"Exactly." Sam nodded.

"Only now instead of demons and blood orgies Halloween is all about kids, candy and costumes." I muttered. "For the most part, anyway."

"Okay, so some witch wants to raise Samhain and take back the night?" Dean asked, a joking tone to his voice.

"Dean, this is serious." Sam said.

"I am serious."

"We're talking heavyweight witchcraft."

"This ritual can only be performed every six hundred years." I added.

Dean nodded. "And the six hundred year marker rolls around…?"

"When do you think?"

"Tomorrow night."

"Naturally." I nodded as Dean grabbed the book from me, flipping through a few pages until he came upon one with a picture of a demon standing on top of a pile of dead bodies, a bloody head in his hand.

"Well it sure is a lot of death and destruction for one demon."

"Not just one. Once Samhain is raised, he can do some of his own."

"Raising, what?"

"Dark, evil stuff. And lots of it."

"So we're talking ghosts. Zombies."

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"Leprechauns?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Dean-"

"Those little dudes are scary. Small hands."

"Look, it just starts with ghosts and ghouls, this sucker keeps on going, by night's end we are talking every awful thing we have ever seen. Everything we fight, all in one place.

"It's gonna be a slaughterhouse."

* * *

 **WALLACE HOUSE – DAY**

The next morning, Dean and I headed back over to the Wallace house while Sam stayed back in the motel room to keep up some steady research. Needless to say, after being here for most of the morning, we'd found nothing. Other than Dean's bellyache from eating too much candy.

"This is pointless. Mrs. Razor Blade's got nothing."

"I know. But someone planted those hex bags in both houses. Meaning they have access to both houses. There's gotta be some connection somehow. We just have to wait and find it."

"Yeah, well, this sucks." Dean huffed, shoving another piece of licorice in his mouth.

"You're gonna make it worse, Dean." I said, looking over to see him rubbing his stomach with one hand, reaching for another piece of candy with the other. I quickly grabbed the bag, placing it on the floor by my feet.

"Come on-"

"No."

"But I'm bored. And I'm starting to cramp like a motherfucker in here."

"Well...maybe we could pass the time...somehow."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah." I nodded, biting my lip.

"..you're gonna get more candy?" Dean asked. I pursed my lips, shaking my head at him as I scooted over in the front seat, looking around to make sure no one was watching before I reached down, unzipping his pants. Dean leaned back a little allowing me easier access, watching me as I ran a hand over his length.

"Better than candy?" I asked, watching as he nodded.

It didn't take him too long to get in the mood and I leaned down, about to take him into my mouth when I heard him let out a low curse under his breath. "Fuck. You're kidding."

"What happened? I didn't even start yet." I said, looking up, following his gaze outside to see Tracy walking up Mrs. Wallace's walkway to the front door. "Holy shit."

"Dammit."

Tracy knocked on the door, waiting a few moments before Mrs. Wallace answered, a baby on her hip. "Hi."

"Hey." She smiled, bending down towards the kid. "Hi!"

Dean glanced over at me after she went inside, letting out a heavy breath. "We're not finishing here are we?"

"We have to get back to Sam. Tell him about this."

"Really?"

"Yes." I nodded. "Now, I wouldn't mind continuing as long as you can control yourself enough to not crash the car."

"Wouldn't be the first time. I think I can do that." Dean smirked, starting up the engine.

"Good." I grinned, bending back down as he pulled back onto the street. I felt the car swerve a little underneath us after I started, glancing up at him with wide eyes. "Dean?"

"I'm good."

* * *

 **MOTEL – DAY**

Thankfully Dean and I made it back to the motel in one piece. I couldn't help but admit that doing that always got my adrenaline running. Though I knew there was no way in hell Dean would ever crash the Impala, and I think that's what helped me feel a bit safer.

"So, what happened?" Sam asked from the bed, the laptop in front of him.

"Well..." Dean started, a smirk on his face.

"It's Tracy." I interjected, stopping him before he could finish.

"The apple-bobbing cheerleader?" Sam asked.

"She's the Wallace's babysitter, but she told me she never even heard of Luke Wallace. A little suspicious, huh?"

"Interesting look for a centuries-old witch."

"Yeah, well, if you were a six-hundred-year-old hag and you could pick any costume to come back in, wouldn't you go for a hot cheerleader?" Dean asked, looking a little lost in thought. "I would."

"You'd _want_ to come back as a girl?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I have always wanting to know how scissoring works."

"Jesus, Dean." I mumbled, shaking my head with a laugh, looking up at him. "I guess you'd make a pretty hot girl. I mean, look at that face."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dean asked, looking a little offended while Sam chuckled.

"Nothing." I shrugged, pinching his cheek. "Cutie."

"Get off." Dean muttered, gently swatting my hand away.

"Well, Tracy's not as wholesome as she looks. While you gone, I thought I'd do some more digging. Apparently she got into a violent altercation with one of her teachers, got suspended from school."

* * *

 **HIGH SCHOOL – DAY**

Dean and I walked a bit ahead of Sam, entering an empty room full of evil looking sculpted masks hanging around. I looked around the room, an uncomfortable feeling entering my chest as I focused on one of the more demonic looking masks, pulling in a deep breath , the sounds of Dean screaming in pain suddenly filling my head. I quickly looked away from the mask, seeing Dean staring at it, a disturbed look in his eyes.

"Dean?" I called quietly, trying to get his attention. I placed a hand on his arm, startling him. "Sorry."

"Yeah." Dean nodded, looking down.

"Are you okay?"

"...yeah."

"Bring back memories?" Sam asked, walking up behind us.

I turned around to face him, my brows furrowed. "What?"

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"Being a teenager, all that angst."

"Oh."

"Right." I nodded.

"What did you guys think I meant?" Sam asked.

I glanced up at Dean, sharing a look with him before turning back to Sam. "Nothing."

"Now that brings back memories." Dean said, looking over to a man who was trying to shove a huge bong into a kiln. Dean nudged my shoulder, raising an eyebrow. "Right?"

"I'm pretty sure yours wasn't that big." I muttered jokingly, shooing a playful smile at Dean.

"Dude, I need a bigger kiln." The man huffed as one of the teachers rounded the corner, stepping over to us.

"You wanted to talk to me?"

Sam nodded. "Mr. Harding-"

"Oh, please, Don." He smiled.

"Okay, Don."

"Even my students call me Don."

"Yeah, we get it, Don." Dean nodded as we pulled out our badges. "I'm agent Geddy, this is agent Lee and agent Neil. We just had a few questions about, uh, Tracy Davis."

"Uh, yeah, Tracy. Bright kid, loads of talent. It's a shame she got suspended."

"You two had a violent altercation." I said.

"Yeah, she exploded. If Principal Murrow hadn't walked by when he did, Tracy would have clawed my eyes out."

"Why?" Sam asked.

"I was only trying to rap with her about her work. It had gotten inappropriate and disturbing."

"More disturbing, than those guys?" Dean asked, pointing back to the masks.

"She would cover page after page with these bizarre cryptic symbols, and then there were the drawings. Detailed images of killings, gory, primitive, and she would depict herself in the middle of them, participating."

"Symbols? What kind of symbols? Anything like this?" Sam asked, showing Don a plastic bag containing the silver Celtic coin from one of the hex bags.

"Yeah, yeah, I think that might have been one of them."

"Do you know where Tracy is now?" Dean asked.

"I would imagine her apartment."

"Her apartment?"

"Yeah, she got here about a year ago, alone, as I understood it, as an emancipated teen. God only knows what her parents were like."

* * *

 **MOTEL – NIGHT**

After parking the car, Dean and I got out, meeting up with Sam back in front of the building, the three of us starting to head towards our room.

"Tracy was nowhere I could find." Sam said. "Any luck with her friends?"

"Nah, luck is not our style. Her friends don't know where she is. It's like the bitch popped a broomstick."

"She could be making the third sacrifice any time."

"Yes, thank you Sam."

Just then, a young boy dressed as an astronaut walked up to us, holding out a bucket. "Trick or treat."

"This is a motel."

"So?"

"So we don't have any candy."

Sam glanced back at the Impala, looking to Dean. "No, we have a ton in the-"

"We did, but it's gone. Sorry, kid. We can't help you."

"I want candy."

"Well, I think you've had enough." Dean said, raising an eyebrow.

I scoffed, rolling my eyes at him, looking to the kid as I walked back to the Impala. I grabbed a couple pieces of candy out of one of the bags, dropping it into the boy's bucket.

"Thanks." He smiled up at me, walking away.

"Sure." I nodded, heading back over to the boys.

"Tori." Dean mumbled, looking at me as though I just betrayed him.

"Dean, you have at least ten pounds of the stuff left."

"Yeah, well, you giving that poor kid candy just helped him get fatter."

"I gave him five pieces. That's a hell of a lot less than what you've eaten since we've been here. What do you think is happening to you?" I asked with a grin.

"Excuse you."

"It's okay, I think your pudge is cute."

" _Pudge_? I don't have pudge."

"No." I said, shaking my head, patting his stomach as I passed by.

"Rude." Dean commented. Suddenly, I felt the ringing in my ears spring back to the forefront, nearly knocking me over. Dean quickly grabbed my arms, holding me steady as I swayed. "What's wrong?"

"You don't hear that?"

"Hear what? Ringing?"

"Yeah."

"Shit."

"Ringing?" Sam asked, his brow furrowed. "What does that mean?"

"Let's just get in the room." Dean said, keeping his arm around my waist as Sam unlocked the door, walking inside.

As soon as he entered, I heard a gun being cocked and Dean and I rushed over, finding Sam pointing his gun at Castiel. "Who are you?!"

"Sam, wait! It's Castiel. The angel." Dean said, pushing his gun down, looking across the room to another man standing near the window. "Him, I don't know." Dean glanced back at me, a questioning look in his eyes. "Who's he?"

"How am I supposed to know?" I asked with a shrug.

"Hello, Sam." Castiel muttered as Sam stared at him in wonder.

"Oh my God. I didn't mean to- sorry. It's an honor, really, I- I've heard a lot about you." Sam smiled, holding a hand out. Castiel looked down at it, obviously not sure what to do.

"Shake it." I said.

"Shake what?" Castiel asked, looking up at me with his brow furrowed.

"His hand."

"Oh." Castiel nodded, placing his hand in Sam's shaking it. "I've heard a lot about you, Sam Winchester. The boy with the demon blood. Glad to see you've ceased your extracurricular activities."

Sam's face fell immediately at Castiel's words and he looked down, slowly letting his hand fall to his side. I moved over, placing a hand on his shoulder, shooting him a small smile, rubbing his arm.

"Let's keep it that way." The other angel muttered, turning to face us.

"Yeah, okay, chuckles." Dean commented, looking back to Castiel. "Who's your friend?"

"The raising of Samhain, have you stopped it?" Castiel asked, ignoring Dean's question.

"Why?"

"Dean, have you located the witch?"

"Yes, we've _located the witch_."

"And is the witch dead?"

I shook my head. "No, but we know who it is."

"Apparently the witch knows who you are, too." Castiel said, holding up a hex bag. "This was inside the wall of your room. If we hadn't found it, surely one or all of you would be dead. Do you know where the witch is now?"

"We're working on it." Dean said.

"That's unfortunate."

"What do you care?"

"Samhain. Bringing him back is one of the sixty-six seals, isn't it?" I asked.

"Yes." Castiel nodded.

"So this is about your buddy Lucifer." Dean muttered.

"Lucifer is no friend of ours." The other angel said.

"It's just an expression."

"Lucifer cannot rise." Castiel said. "The breaking of the seal must be prevented at all costs."

"Okay, great, well now that you're here, why don't you tell us where the witch is, we'll gank her and everybody goes home."

"We are not omniscient. This witch is very powerful, she's cloaked even our methods."

"Okay." Sam started. "Well we already know who she is, so if we work together-"

"Enough of this."

"Okay, who are you and why should I care?" Dean asked the other angel.

"This is Uriel, he's what you might call a…specialist." Castiel explained.

"What kind of specialist? What are you gonna do?"

"The three of you need to leave this town immediately."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because we're about to destroy it."

The boys and I exchanged a look as my heart dropped, turning back to Castiel. "I'm sorry?"

"We're out of time. This witch has to die, the seal must be saved."

"There are a thousand people here." Sam said.

"One thousand two hundred fourteen." Uriel said.

"And you're willing to kill them all?"

"This isn't the first time I've purified a city."

"Look, I understand this is regrettable-"

"Regrettable?" Dean asked, interrupting Castiel.

"We have to hold the line. Too many seals have broken already."

"So you screw the pooch on some seals and this town has to pay the price?"

"It's the lives of one thousand against the lives of six billion. There's a bigger picture here."

"Right, cause you're bigger picture kind of guys."

"Lucifer cannot rise. He does and hell rises with him. Is that something that you're willing to risk?"

"We'll stop this witch before she summons anyone." Sam said. "Your seal won't be broken and no one has to die."

"We're wasting time with these mud monkeys." Uriel muttered.

"I'm sorry, but we have our orders." Castiel said.

"No, you can't do this." Sam murmured, shaking his head. "You're angels, I mean aren't you supposed to- you're supposed to show mercy."

"We have no choice."

"Of course you have a choice. I mean, come on. You've never questioned a shit order, huh? What are you both, just a couple of hammers?" Dean asked.

"Look, even if you can't understand it, have faith. The plan is just because it comes from heaven, that makes it just." Castiel muttered.

"Oh, it must be nice, to be so sure of yourselves."

"Tell me something, Dean, when your father gave you an order, didn't you obey?" Castiel asked.

Dean stared at him for a moment before looking away. "Well sorry boys, looks like the plans have changed."

"You think you can stop us?" Uriel asked.

"No, but if you're gonna smite this whole town, then you're gonna have to smite us with it, because we are not leaving." Dean said, getting in his face. "See, you went to the trouble of busting me out of hell, I figure I'm worth something to the man upstairs. So you wanna waste me, go ahead, see how he digs that."

"I will drag you out of here myself."

"You know what? I am tried of you angels and your threats." I spat, glaring over at Uriel. "Dean's right. If you want to smite this entire town, you have to take us with it."

"Victoria...we can't do that." Castiel said, looking over at me.

"Well, if you want to kill everyone here, it's your only option." I said. Castiel glanced back at Uriel, who had a sour look on his face. "What's it gonna be? We can do this. We'll find that witch and stop the summoning. I swear to you."

Castiel stared over at me for a moment before nodding his head once. "I suggest you move quickly."

* * *

 **IMPALA – DAY**

My heart beat erratically in my chest from speaking to the angels, but thankfully the ringing was dying down now they they left. I slid into the backseat, letting out a heavy breath as I did so.

"I thought they'd be different." Sam muttered, the hex bag in his hand.

"Who, the angels?" Dean asked.

"Yeah."

"Well, I tried to tell you."

"I just- I mean, I thought they'd be... _righteous_."

"They are. That seems to be the problem." I mumbled.

"Of course there's nothing more dangerous than some asshole who thinks he's on a holy mission." Dean added.

"But, I mean, this is God? And heaven?" Sam asked sadly. "This is what I've been praying to?"

"Look man, I know you're into the whole God thing, you know, _Jesus on a tortilla_ and stuff like that. But just because there's a couple of bad apples doesn't mean the whole barrel's rotten. I mean, for all we know, God hates these jerks. Don't give up on this stuff, is all I'm saying." Dean said, placing a hand on Sam's shoulder. " _Babe Ruth_ was a dick but baseball's still a beautiful game."

"I think that was the most inspirational thing I've ever heard you say." I muttered, shooting him a small smile. "Brought a tear to my eye."

"Yeah, okay." Dean rolled his eyes, starting the engine, glancing over at Sam, who was going through the hex bag. "Well, are you gonna figure out a way to find this witch, or are you just gonna sit there fingering your bone?"

"You know how much heat it would take to char a bone like this?" Sam asked, holding up the small bone.

"No."

"A lot. I mean, more than a fire or some kitchen oven."

"Okay, Betty Crocker, what does that mean?"

"It means we make a stop."

* * *

 **HIGH SCHOOL – DAY**

We made our way through the high school, following Sam to Don Harding's class room, staying by the door while he rifled through the papers and things on his desk.

"So Tracy used the kiln to char the bone, what's the big deal?" Dean asked.

"Dean, that hex bag turned up in our room, not after we talked to Tracy-"

"After we talked to the teacher."

"Look." Sam called, pointing to a latch on the bottom of the desk, keeping a compartment locked. I grabbed a hammer off the table behind us, handing it to him. Sam started hitting the lock until it broke and the drawer opened revealing several bones, some charred and others not.

"Those are all from children." I muttered, disgusted.

"And I'm guessing he's not saving them for the dog." Dean mumbled.

* * *

 **PARK – DUSK  
** Third person POV

As the sun began to set behind the clouds, the sound of a few children talking filled the air while they skipped by the angels in their costumes, neither one of them having any clue who they were passing. Uriel sat on the bench while Castiel stood next to him, the both of them staring out across the park.

"The decision's been made." Castiel muttered.

Uriel laughed. "By mud monkeys"

"You shouldn't call them that. Especially Victoria."

"Ah, it's what they are. Savages. Just plumbing on two legs."

"You're close to blasphemy." Castiel replied, barely even glancing over at the other angel. How Uriel could be okay with every saying such a thing about Victoria, he'd never know. "Victoria and Dean, they have potential. They may succeed here. And any rate, it's out of our hands."

"It doesn't have to be."

"And what would you suggest?"

"That we drag Dean Winchester and Victoria Anderson out of here and then we blow this insignificant pinprick off the map."

"You know our true orders." Castiel said, shooting Uriel a pointed look. "Are you prepared to disobey?"

* * *

 **BASEMENT – NIGHT  
** TPOV

We made our way through the dark basement, moving quietly as Don started an incantation, standing over by his altar for a moment before moving in front of Tracy, who was hanging from the ceiling by a rope, a rag wrapped around her mouth. She let out a muffled cry as Don walked over to her, placing a knife on her throat, a chalice in his other hand. Before he could do anything, Dean shot him three times in the back. I quickly went over to Tracy, cutting her down as she ripped the gag out.

"Thank you, he was gonna kill me! Ugh, that sick son of a bitch. I mean, did you see what he was doing? Did you hear him? How sloppy his incantation was?" She asked, shooting me an evil grin. "My brother always was a little dim."

Suddenly, she yelled out another incantation, sending the three of us flying back to the wall, pinning us to the floor, searing pain running through my stomach.

"He was gonna make me the final sacrifice, his idea. But now, that honor goes to him. Our master's return? The spellwork's a two man job, you for six hundred years I had to deal with that pompous son of a bitch. Planning, preparing, unbearable. The whole time I wanted to rip his face off." She said, starting to dig the knife into one of Don's bullet wounds, holding the chalice underneath, letting the blood flow into it. "And you get him with a gun. Love that."

I grimaced in pain, not able to speak as I watched Tracy stand upright, going back to the altar. "You know, back in the day, this was the one day you kept your children inside. Well tonight you'll all see what Halloween really is."

As quietly as I could, I made my way over to Don's body, fighting through the pain as I dipped my hand in the blood.

 _God, if you're listening...please let this work._ I thought to myself before smearing the blood on my face.

"What are you doing?" Dean whispered.

"Just follow my lead." I said, smearing some blood on Dean's face while Sam did the same to his own. I moved back away from Don as Tracy finished the incantation.

The ground suddenly cracked, black smoke pouring out of it and into Don's body. He stood to his feet, opening his eyes to reveal pure white ones. The pain in my stomach stopped as I watched him walk over to Tracy, kissing her.

"My love." She murmured.

"You've aged."

"This face… I can't fool you."

"Your beauty is beyond time." He said, leaning in so their foreheads touched before suddenly snapped her neck, letting her body fall to the floor. "Whore."

Samhain turned around, sniffing the air, his eyes landing on the three of us. He stared for a moment before leaving, shutting the door behind him. Dean cracked an open, still keeping his voice low just in case. "What the hell was that?"

"People used to wear masks to hide from him, so I gave it a shot."

" _You gave it a shot_?!" Sam and Dean exclaimed quietly.

"Sh! What else were we supposed to do? Come on, we have to go." I said, standing to my feet.

"Where the hell are we gonna find this mook?" Dean asked as we headed outside towards the Impala.

"Where would you go to raise other dark forces of the night?" Sam asked.

"The cemetery."

"Yeah. "Sam nodded as we got into the car. "So, this demon's pretty powerful."

"Yeah."

"Might take more than the usual weapons." Sam muttered, glancing back at me, looking over to Dean.

"Sam, no." I said, knowing what he was getting at.

"You're not using your psychic bullshit." Dean added. "Don't even think about it. Ruby's knife is enough."

"Why?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well because the angels said so, for one."

"I thought you said they were a bunch of fanatics."

"Well they happen to be right about this one."

"I don't know, Dean, it doesn't seem like they're right about much."

"Forget the angels, alright?" I asked, looking over at him. "You said it yourself, these powers, it's like playing with fire. You're not going back. You're not doing that."

"Please." Dean muttered, holding Ruby's knife out to his brother. Sam just let out a sigh, taking the knife from him, not saying a word.

* * *

 **MAUSOLEUM** **–** **NIGHT**

The sound of panicked screams echoed through the shallow room as we ran down the steps, seeing a group of teenagers locked inside a crypt, blood splattered everywhere.

"Help them."

"Dude, you're not going off alone." Dean said.

"Do it!" Sam exclaimed. Dean and I shared a look as Sam ran in the direction Samhain went, turning back to the teenagers.

"Stand back!" Dean called, pulling up his gun. The kids moved back from the gate as Dean shot the lock, kicking it down.

"Come on, go." I said as they ran out. "Get out of here."

Just then one of the grave doors in the wall crashed to the ground, breaking open. A zombie crawled out of it, standing up as another one did the same.

"Bring it on, stinky." Dean commented, raising a silver stake as the zombies moved forward.

The both of us made sure to stay in the middle of the room as more zombies crawled out, surrounding us. I plunged my stake into one of the zombie's chests, placing my foot on his stomach to pull it out of his chest, sending him flying backwards onto the ground.

"This is going great." I mumbled, stabbing another one as it walked towards me. I glanced over my shoulder, seeing the pale, frail looking spirit of a woman standing behind Dean. "Behind you!"

Dean quickly turned around, stabbing her with the stake, causing her to disappear. Suddenly, he was thrown against the wall, another spirit appearing a few feet away. I hit him with my stake, causing him to flicker out before rushing over to Dean's side, helping him to his feet.

"Zombie, ghost orgy, huh? Well, that's it, we're torching everybody." Dean muttered. Suddenly the zombies that remained fell to the ground, dead and the ghosts disappeared from sight. "I guess I scared them?"

"Oh, no. Sam." I murmured, my eyes going wide with worry.

Dean and I quickly ran out of the crypt, moving down the hallway. Something inside was telling me I wasn't going to like what I saw when Dean and I rounded that corner.

And I was right.

Because inside another crypt, Sam stood in front of Samhain, his hand held out at him, struggling against whatever invisible grip Sam had on him. Hearing our footsteps, Sam glanced back at us, barely making eye contact before he turned back to the demon. My eyes widened as I watched the scene play out in front of me, seeing Sam start to shake, holding his head in pain.

The black smoke slowly poured out of Don's body, his eyes suddenly returning to normal as it burned into the ground. Dean and I watched in horror as Sam turned around, wiping off the blood that had dripped from his nose, still not looking into our eyes.

* * *

 **PARK – DAY**

After last night's events, Dean and I needed some fresh air after returning to the motel, making our way over to the park across the street while Sam stayed back in the motel packing up his stuff so we could leave. Neither Dean or I have really said much, not knowing what in the hell to say. I know I'd seem Sam do this before, but it was different this time. He actually seemed like he was in pain.

I just couldn't believe that was something he could do. And to be honest, it scared me. I could tell it scared Dean, too. I could see it in his eyes.

The ringing in my ears got loud all of a sudden and I didn't need to look up to know that Castiel was standing next to us.

"Let me guess you're here for the _I told you so_." Dean mumbled.

"No." Castiel replied.

"Well, good, cause I'm really not that interested."

"I am not here to judge you. Either of you."

"Then why _are_ you here?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Our orders were not to stop the summoning of Samhain, they were to do whatever the both of you told us to do."

"Why?"

"It was a test, to see how you would perform under...battlefield conditions, you might say."

"It was a witch, not the _Tet Offensive_." Dean said. "So did we failed your test, huh? I get it. But you know what? If you would have waved that magic time-traveling wand of yours and we had to do it all over again, I'd make the same call. I know Tori would, too. 'Cause see, I don't know what's gonna happen when these seals are broken, hell I don't even know what's gonna happen tomorrow. But what I do know is, that this, here? These kids, the swings, the trees, all of it is still here because of my family and me."

"You misunderstand me, Dean, I'm not like you think. I was praying that you would choose to save the town."

"You were?" I asked.

"These people, they're all my father's creations. They're works of art, and yet, even though you stopped Samhain, the seal was broken and we are one step closer to hell on earth, for all creation. Now that's not an expression, it's literal. You of all people should appreciate what that means." Castiel said, looking deep into our eyes. "Can I tell the both of you something if you promise not to tell another soul?"

"Okay." Dean nodded.

"I'm not a…hammer as you say. I have questions, I have doubts. I don't know what is right and what is wrong anymore, whether you passed or failed here. But in the coming months you will have more decisions to make. I don't envy the weight that's on your shoulders. I truly don't." Castiel muttered, disappearing from sight.

Dean and I shared a look, the both of us letting out heavy breath of air as we wracked our brains, trying to understand what all of that meant.

But after learning all the things I had over the past month...I'm not so sure I want to know.

* * *

 **To answer one of your questions, Kim - I can definitely reveal that while Castiel and Liz were close, Castiel is in no way Tori's father. He's still a virgin...for now, anyway ;)**

 **Thanks for reading! Keep the reviews coming, I love reading them!**

 **Twitter: phoenixwrites79  
Instagram: phoenixwritesfanfiction**


	11. Wishful Thinking

_Been gone a long time  
I kinda lost my way, I can't find it  
And I caught a short ride  
To the grave and back this season  
I can try to get by  
But every time I start to panic  
I'm a little bit shy  
A bit strange and a little bit manic_

 _..._

 _On the narrowing line  
What a way to sort my troubles  
In a very short time  
Gonna pop, better duck and cover  
Can you figure me out?  
I got caught like a little kid stealing  
Did I say it too loud?  
A bit hard or a little misleading_

… _.._

I went to a wishing well _  
_ _But sank to the ocean floor_  
 _Cut up by sharpened rocks_  
 _And washed up along the shore_  
 _I reached for a shooting star  
It burned a hole through my hand  
Made it's way through my heart_

 _ **blink-182 – Wishing Well**_

* * *

Even a few days after we'd left that small town, I still had Castiel's words replaying through my head about how Dean and I would have tough decisions to make in the coming months. That even him, an angel, didn't envy us. I couldn't imagine what that meant, I didn't even know where to begin.

"Uriel told me something." Sam blurted out suddenly as we sat in a small bar grabbing a bite to eat.

"Okay?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

"About you."

"And?"

"He said that- Dean he told me to ask you about hell."

"What did he want you to ask?"

"What you remembered."

"Well, that stupid considering I don't remember anything."

"It just doesn't make any sense, Dean. I mean, why would Uriel tell me you remembered hell if you didn't?"

"Maybe because he's a dick. Might have something to do with it." Dean said, downing another shot.

"Maybe, but he's still an angel."

"Yeah, an angel who was ready to level an entire town. Look, I don't know what-"

Suddenly our waiter came bounding back to the table, a huge smile on his face. " _Radical_. What else can I get you guys?"

"Uh, I think we're good." I said, looking up at him.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"Yeah." I nodded.

"You want to try a couple of fryer bombs? Or a chipotle chili changa?"

"No, no, we're – we're still good." Dean told him.

"Okay, awesome." He said cheerfully, walking away with a slight skip in his step.

"Listen, honestly, I have no idea why Uriel told you what he did, okay?" Dean said, looking back to his brother, avoiding looking into my eyes at all costs.

"Right." Sam sighed.

"What?"

"Okay. Fine. Then look me in the eye and tell me you don't remember a thing from your time down under." Sam said, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't remember a thing from my time down under." Dean nodded as Sam scoffed. "I don't remember, Sam!"

"Look, Dean, I just want to help."

"You know everything I do. Okay? That's all there is." Dean said, lowering his eyes slightly.

"Outstanding!" Our waiter yelled, coming out of nowhere. "Dessert time? Huh? Am I right?"

"Dude."

"Listen, _dudes_. You have got to try our ice cream extreme. It's _extreme_."

"Listen, we're kind of trying to have a conversation here, so could you please just go get us our check?" I asked.

"Alright." He muttered, turning from the table.

"Thanks."

Dean took a breath, changing the subject. "So, where do we go from here?"

"I'm not sure. Uh, looks like it's been pretty quiet lately. No signs of demon activity, no omens or portents I can see." Sam said.

"That's good news for once." I muttered.

"Yeah, just the typical smattering of crank UFO sightings and one possible vengeful spirit. Here, check this out. Up in Concrete, Washington, eyewitness reports of a ghost that's been haunting the showers of a women's health facility." Sam said, pushing a paper over to us. Dean suddenly started choking on the beer he just drank. I patted his back, shaking my head. "The victim claims that the ghost threw her down a flight of stairs."

"I guess you're interested?" I asked Dean, a knowing look on my face.

"Women, showers." Dean said, glancing over at me. "We got to save these people."

* * *

 **CONCRETE, WASHINGTON – DAY  
Lucky Chin's Restaurant  
**

Surprisingly, Dean decided to go with me to the restaurant to speak with Mrs. Armstrong instead of going to the showers with Sam, something I was extremely surprised about. After Sam had driven away, I turned to Dean, looking up at him with worried eyes.

"Why didn't you want to go to with Sam?"

"I don't know."

"We're talking a room full of wet, naked women."

"Don't remind me." Dean mumbled, turning towards the restaurant doors.

I grabbed his arm, holding him back. "Hang on a second. Does this have anything to do with what Sam was asking you about this morning?"

"Maybe I just didn't want to leave you alone."

"Tell me the truth, Dean."

"That is the truth. I was away from you for too long. I'd like to spend some time with my girl." Dean smiled, something in his eyes telling me otherwise.

"Dean."

"Yeah, okay? I mean, of course I want to be with you, that's completely true. But I also I don't want to hear him asking anymore. I don't remember hell."

"You don't?"

"No."

"...I can tell when you're lying, Dean." I muttered, looking up at him with sad eyes.

"Can we- can we just do this, please?" Dean asked, looking exasperated.

"Okay. Let's go." I nodded, the both of us making our way inside, finding Candace Armstrong sitting alone at one of the tables, waiting for us. "Hi."

"Oh, hello." She smiled as we sat down. "Where should we start?"

"Well, on the phone you said that you felt the presence of the spirit, right?" I asked, taking out a pad and pencil.

"Yes. And I'm not surprised the spirit world chose to make contact with me. I'm something of a...natural sensitive." She said. "So, what did you say you're calling your book?"

"Oh, well-" Dean scrambled, glancing over at me. "Uh-"

"The working title is... _Supernatural_." I said, cringing as I did so. "We've been crossing the country, gathering stories like yours. But, anyways, you were telling us about your encounter."

"Yes. Well, once I saw the apparition, that's when I started to run." She explained. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dean staring over her shoulder, following his gaze to see two people making out at the other end of the restaurant.

I shook my head, trying to ignore them and focus back on Candace. "So, you said the ghost chased you, right?"

"Not just that. It knew my name. It kept yelling, _Mrs. Armstrong! Mrs. Armstrong_! And that's when I hit the stairs and fell."

"You fell?" Dean asked. "The ghost didn't push you?"

"Oh, I don't- I don't know. I mean, I think it did. Maybe." She muttered, falling over her own words.

"Did you feel like it meant to hurt you? Like it was violent, or..."

"It was a _ghost_. I'm lucky to be alive." She exclaimed. It took everything in Dean and I to not roll our eyes at that. "Anyway, I was at the bottom of the stairs, and that's when it got weird. It helped me up."

I thought for a moment that I didn't hear her correctly. "I'm sorry?"

"Yeah. It helped me up. And it kept saying over and over, _please, don't tell my mom_."

"Yeah, that's weird." I mumbled, glancing over at Dean, sharing a look with him. "Well, I think we've got everything we need."

"Yeah." Dean nodded as we slid out of the booth, standing to our feet.

"Thanks for your time."

"Oh, when will the book be out?" She asked, smiling at us. "I want to show my friends."

"Uh...sometime next year. We haven't decided on a date yet." Dean explained.

The two of us left after that, making our way to the fitness center, which wasn't too far from the restaurant. We spotted Sam sitting on a bench outside, looking down at a newspaper in his hands. He looked up in our direction, hearing our footsteps approach.

"You find anything?" Dean asked. "Please tell me there weren't any naked women that needed a big, strong man and I missed it."

"Nope." Sam chucked. "No EMF in the shower or anywhere else.

"Yeah. I'm not surprised." I muttered. "I kind of got the feeling back there that crazy pushed Mrs. Armstrong down the stairs."

"Really?"

"She said that after she fell, the ghost helped her up."

Dean sighed, sitting down. "I got to tell you, I'm pretty disappointed."

"I know. You wanted to save naked women." I pouted.

"Damn right I wanted to save some naked women." Dean mumbled. Suddenly a small boy ran by, being chased by three bigger ones.

"Come on, guys, get him!" One of the boys yelled.

"I got him! I got him!" Another other shouted.

"Run, Forrest, run!" Dean called out to the small boy. I shook my head, sitting down in between Sam and Dean.

"Sorry, Dean, but I don't think anything's going on around here." Sam said.

The three of us stayed sitting on the steps, resting for a few minutes, breathing in some fresh air when I heard a man start yelling to an officer on the pier a few feet away.

"How the hell was I supposed to get a look at it? It grabbed me from behind and threw me into a tree!"

"Something's going on." Dean said, looking back at Sam and I as he got up.

"Yeah, okay, Gus. I understand you got shook up. Anyone would be. But don't you think it- don't you think it had to be a bear?" The cop asked.

"I know a damn bear track when I see one! This thing didn't leave bear tracks! Its feet were huge!"

"Now, Gus..."

"It was Bigfoot, Hal. The Bigfoot!" Gus exclaimed, his eyes wide.

"Gus, you're not talking sense here."

"There's a Bigfoot out there, damn it, and he's a son of a bitch!"

"Excuse us. FBI." Sam called as we walked over to the two men, approaching slowly.

"What?" The officer asked, looking at us suspiciously.

"Yes, sir. We're here about the...that."

"About Bigfoot?"

"That's right. Sir, can you tell me exactly where this happened?"

"Yes, I can." The man said, turning to us.

* * *

After hearing Gus's insane story, we headed off into the woods to...find Bigfoot.

"What the hell's going on in this town? First there's a ghost that's not real, and now a Bigfoot sighting?" Dean asked, stepping over a few fallen branches.

"Well, every hunter worth his salt knows Bigfoot's a hoax." Sam said.

"Maybe somebody's pumping LSD into the town water supply." Dean said, stopping short causing me to run into him as he stared at the ground. "Okay. What do you suppose made that?"

My eyes went wide as I looked down to the huge prints in the ground. "Well, that is...a big foot."

"Okay."

"Look, they're going this way." I said, stepping in front of Dean to follow the tracks.

Not too long after, we came upon the back of a liquor store where the tracks ended. The windows were smashed in and the doorknob was broken off, laying on the ground next to the open door. I put my hand on my gun, just in case and followed the boys inside.

"So, what? Bigfoot breaks into a liquor store, jonesing for some hooch?" Dean asked, looking over the shelves. "Amaretto and Irish cream. He's a girl-drink drunk."

Dean tried to discreetly put the bottle of whiskey in his jacket, but I saw, raising an eyebrow at him. He shot me a sheepish smile, walking towards me.  
"Look." I muttered, nodding to the empty magazine rack in front of me.

"He took the whole porno rack? Well, I'll say it again. What the hell is going on in this town?" Dean asked, looking over at me. I shrugged, not having the faintest idea.

After spending a few more minutes in the store, we made our way out to the front steps, sitting down on them, trying to figure out just what the hell could be going on here.

Dean sighed, shaking his head. "I got nothing."

"It's got to be a joke, right? Some big-ass mother in a gorilla suit?" Sam asked, looking around.

"Or it's a Bigfoot." Dean shrugged as I shot him a disbelieving look. "You know, and he's some kind of a alcoholo-porno addict. Kind of like a deep-woods Duchovny."

"I think your LSD in the water theory is more believable than an alcohol and porn addicted Bigfoot." I mumbled, looking ahead as a little girl passed by us on her bike, a magazine falling out of the basket.

"A little young for busty Asian beauties." Dean muttered, glancing over at me.

We watched the girl stop a few feet away from us, putting down a box full of bottles of liquor and porn magazines, along with a note on the top that read _sorry._ We got into the Impala, trying to not look creepy as we followed the little girl back to her house, waiting until she got inside before walking up the porch steps, knocking on the door.

"What's this, like a _Harry and the Hendersons_ deal?" Dean asked.

"I really hope not." I mumbled as the small girl answered the door.

"Hello?"

"Hi. Are your parents home?"

"Nope."

"No...?" I asked, slightly confused. She shook her head.

Dean looked down at the girl. "Um...have you seen a really, really furry..."

Worry covered her small features as she looked up at Dean. "Is he in trouble?"

"No." I chuckled, trying to play along. "Not at all. We just- we wanted to make sure he was okay."

"Exactly." Dean said, nodding along with Sam.

"He's my teddy bear. I think he's sick." The little girl told us.

"Wow. Amazing. 'Cause you know what? We are...teddy bear doctors." Dean smiled.

"Really?" She asked, looking hopeful as the three of us nodded. "Can you please take a look at him?"

"Sure." Sam said.

Dean nodded. "Sure. Yeah."

In a way, I was glad that this little girl trusted us enough to allow three complete strangers into her home while her parents were away so we could try to get to the bottom of this, but at the same time, it worried me. What the hell were her parents teaching this kid?

"He's in my bedroom. He's pretty grumpy." She said, knocking on the door she stopped in front of. "Teddy? There's some nice doctors here to see you."

I'm sure this was just gonna turn out to be a kids' imagination running wild. It had to be.

The little girl turned to us with a small smile on her face, opening the door. I gasped, grabbing Dean's arm tightly as I saw a giant teddy bear who was very drunk and very much...alive sitting on the edge of the bed watching TV. "Close the fucking door!"

She quickly closed the door, biting her lip. "See what I mean?"

"Oh my god." I mumbled, holding a hand to my chest. "Holy- oh my god."

"All I ever wanted was a teddy which was big, real, and talked. But now he's sad all the time. Not _ouch_ sad, but _ouch-in-the-head_ sad. He says weird stuff, and smells like the bus." She murmured sadly.

This was definitely something she'd have to go to therapy for. Unless she can convince herself it was all one long nightmare, which isn't likely. Hell, I'm gonna have to go to therapy for this.

Dean sighed. "Um, little girl-"

"Audrey!"

"Audrey." Dean paused, glancing over at me. "How exactly did your teddy become real?"

"I wished for it."

"You wished for it?" I asked, looking down at her.

She looked up at me, nodding. "At the wishing well."

Dean reached around her to open the bedroom door again. The three of us took a slight step inside, staring at the bear.

"Look at this. You believe this shit?" He asked us, pointing to the news on the TV.

"Not really." Dean muttered, glancing back at Sam and I.

"It is a terrible world." The bear mumbled, his voice shaking. "Why am I here?!"

"For tea parties!" Audrey told him.

"Tea parties? Is that all there is?" He asked, starting to sob as we slowly backed out into the hallway.

"Audrey, give us a second, okay?" Sam asked. She nodded and walked a ways down the hallway, leaving us alone. "Okay. Are we- should we- uh, are we gonna kill this teddy bear?"

"How?" Dean asked. "Do we shoot it? Burn it?"

"I don't know. Both?"

"I say both. Use all the firepower in the world and put the creepy little shit out of it's misery." I said, a chill running down my spine as it sobbed loudly from behind the door.

"How do we even know that's gonna work? I don't want some giant, flaming, pissed-off teddy on our hands." Dean said, making a good point.

"Yeah. Besides, I get the feeling that the bear isn't really the, you know, core problem here." Sam said, turning in the direction Audrey went. "Audrey, where are your parents?"

"My mom wished they were in Bali, so I think they're in Bali."

"Okay, well...I'm really sorry to have to break this to you, but your bear is sick. Yeah, he's- he's got..."

"Lollipop disease." Dean finished, sounding serious.

"Lollipop disease." Sam repeated, nodding. Audrey stared up at us, a worried look on her face.

"It's not uncommon for a bear his size." I said, not believing what the hell just came out of my mouth. "But it's really contagious. You really need to stay away from him for a bit. Is there a grown-up that you can stay with while we...treat him?"

"Mrs. Hurley lives down the street." Audrey replied.

Dean nodded, smiling down at her. "Perfect."

"Good, yeah, good. We'd like you to stay there for a few days, okay?" Sam asked her.

"Oh, Audrey? Where is this wishing well?"

* * *

 **LUCKY CHIN'S– DAY**

Back inside the restaurant we interviewed Candace Armstrong in, we made our way to the back of the building where a large fountain sat, several coins scattered around the bottom of it.

"Think it works?" Dean asked, leaning over, looking into the water.

"Got a better explanation for teddy back there?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

Dean sighed, pulling a coin out of his pocket. "Well, there's one way to find out."

"What are you gonna wish for? Those naked women you never got to save?" I asked.

"Not supposed to tell." Dean shrugged, throwing the coin in the well.

Suddenly, a man walked through the door, looking around. "Somebody order a footlong Italian with jalapeno?"

"That'd be me." Dean called, holding his hand up.

I stared on, in slight shock as the man came over, handing him the sandwich before leaving. We made our way over to one of the tables, sitting down at Dean unwrapped his sandwich, taking a bite out of it.

"This is insane." I mumbled, shaking my head.

"This works. That was pretty specific." Dean said around a mouthful of food, holding the sandwich over to me. "Want some?"

"There has to be a catch here."

"What? Are you saying there's something wrong with the sandwich?"

"I don't know."

"Huh." Dean mumbled, staring at the sandwich for a moment before shrugging, taking another bite out of it.

"The teddy bear, the sandwich..." Sam trailed off, pushing the paper he was reading over to us. I looked down at it, seeing an article about a lottery winner. "I'm guessing this."

"I'm guessing that." Dean said pointing to the couple next to us, the same ones who were making out from before.

"Jesus, they're still here?" I asked, shaking my head. "Something's just...wrong about all this."

"What are we supposed to do, huh? Stop people's wishes from coming true? I mean, it sounds like kind of a douche-y thing to do."

"Yeah, maybe." Sam muttered. "But come on, man, when has something like this ever come without a price tag? And it's usually a deadly one."

"I don't know. This is a damn good sandwich."

"Dean, this is serious."

"Me too! This is a good sandwich." Dean said, catching the look of slight disapproval in my eyes. "Alright, we'll put a hold on the wishing 'til we figure out what's going on."

"Okay." I nodded, flipping through the newspaper as a waiter came walking up to the table.

"Uh, I'm sorry. We don't allow people to eat outside food here."

"Well, I am certainly not gonna eat the inside food here." Dean said, placing his sandwich down. "Health department. You, my friend, have a rat infestation. We're gonna have to shut this place down under emergency hazard code fifty-six c."

"Rats?!"

Dean stared up at him for a moment before nodding. "Right."

* * *

A little while later, the fountain was completely drained of all the water and Dean stood inside with a broom, sweeping up the coins while I held a dust pan, collecting them.

"Typical fountain, plaster Buddha." Dean shrugged. "Nothing I can see."

"Yes, nothing." The waiter muttered. "We keep a clean place here."

"Sir, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave during the preliminary investigation, okay?" Sam asked. The man stared up at him for a moment before letting out a huff, walking away. "Thank you."

"Oh, come on. Aren't you a little bit tempted?" Dean asked, looking between Sam and I.

"No." Sam said, handing Dean the coin back. "I wouldn't trust it."

"I don't know. That bear seemed pretty real. Come on, if you could wish yourself back, you know, before it all started. Think about it. You'd be some big yuppie lawyer with a nice car and a white picket fence."

Sam shook his head, letting out a sigh. "Not what I'd wish for."

"Really?" I asked, surprised by his answer.

"It's too late to go back to our old lives. I'm not that guy anymore."

"Alright, well, what, then?" Dean asked. "What would Sammy wish for?"

"Lilith's head on a plate. Bloody." Sam said, his tone of voice chilling. Dean and I stared at him for a moment, again surprised by his answer.

"Okay." Dean nodded, looking over to me. "What would you wish for?"

"I don't know." I shrugged.

"Oh, come on. There's gotta be something. If you could have for anything in the world, what would it be? A couple dozen of me?" Dean asked, a smirk on his lips.

"No thanks, one is hard enough to deal with." I teased. "As cliche as it sounds...I'd just want us to be able to be...happy. For once."

"Yeah."

"What about you?" I asked. Dean thought for a moment, a smile crossing his lips.

"Another sandwich." Dean said, something about the look in his eyes telling me that wasn't at all what he'd wish for. I nodded, silently telling him I knew there was more there than he said. Dean went back to sweeping, finding it difficult to move one of the coins. "What is that?"

"Some kind of old coin." Sam muttered. "I don't recognize the markings."

I bent down, trying to grab the coin, but it wouldn't budge. "Shit."

"Move aside, let _the man_ do it." Dean said, winking at me as he bent down, trying to pick it up, not having any luck.

"What's the matter, Dean?" I asked, crossing my arms. "Can't lift it with all the manly strength of yours?"

"Lift with your legs." Sam suggested, chuckling lightly.

Dean huffed, shaking his head as he gave up. "Is that little mother welded on there?"

"I'll be right back." I said, heading out to the Impala to grab a hammer and crowbar.

"What are you doing?" The waiter asked as I made my way back inside, heading over to the fountain. I heard him running behind him, his footsteps frantic.

"What is this?! You are gonna break my fountain!"

"Listen, sir, I don't want to have to slap you with a forty-four-sixteen, but I will." I said, raising an eyebrow at him. He let out a sigh, shaking his head as he turned around again. "Thank you."

"Let me see that. I got an idea." Dean muttered, taking the tools from me, placing the crowbar underneath the coin, hitting the other end of it with the hammer...breaking the hammer.

"Holy shit!" The waiter exclaimed, watching from across the room.

"Damn."

"The coin's magical." Sam mumbled.

"Boy, I'd say. I think it's hoodoo that's protecting the well. I don't think we can destroy this."

Sam grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, tracing the top of the coin before standing upright, handing me the paper. "Alright, here. You guys go look into this."

"Where you going?" I asked.

"Something just occurred to me."

* * *

After speaking with a professor, Dean and I made our way off the campus and over to the Impala. The boy that was being chased before was now the one doing the chasing, the bigger boys running away from him, seemingly terrified. Dean and I paused at the end of the Impala, watching him.

"You better run!" The boy shouted, turning to confront us when he realized we were staring. "You got a problem?"

"What? No." Dean muttered, furrowing his brow. The boy narrowed his eyes at us before turning and running away.

"That was weird." I mumbled, looking over to see Dean holding his stomach. "You okay?"

"No."

"What's the matter?"

"I think I'm gonna be sick."

"What?" I asked as Dean suddenly turned to a few bushes, throwing up. I went over to him as he stood upright, holding him steady while he wobbled on his feet. "Give me the keys."

"No way. I'm not sitting in the car feeling like this. What if I get sick?"

"I'll pull over and you can puke on the side of the road. We have to get back to the room, Dean. You need to rest."

"I can wal-" Dean paused, gagging rather violently before swallowing hard. "I'm good."

"Dean, get in the car."

"No."

"Get in the goddamn car, Dean!" I exclaimed, gently pushing him over to the passenger side. I grabbed a garbage bag from the trunk, handing it to him. "Just in case. Give me the keys."

"Fine." Dean huffed, dropping the keys into my hand.

* * *

 **MOTEL – DAY**

As soon as we got back to the room, Dean got sick again and he'd been throwing up ever since. I leaned on the wall outside of the bathroom, a grimace on my face as I heard him get sick again. Just then, Sam walked into the room, pausing when he heard what was going on.

"Is he okay?"

"No." I shook my head.

"The wishes turn bad, Sam." Dean strained. "The wishes turn very bad."

"The sandwich, huh?" Sam asked, cringing as Dean gagged loudly again.

"The coin was Babylonian. It's definitely cursed." I explained. "We found some fragments of a legend. The serpent is Tiamt which is the Babylonian god of primordial chaos. The priests were doing some serious black magic."

"They made the coin?"

"Yeah, to sow the seeds of chaos." Dean said, standing in the doorway.

"You okay, baby?" I asked, glancing back at him as he nodded.

"Whoever tosses a coin in the wishing well, makes a wish, it turns on the well. Then it starts granting wishes to all comers."

"But the wishes get twisted." Sam said. "You ask for a talking teddy..."

"You get a bipolar nut job."

"And you get E. coli."

"Yeah. This thing has turned more than one town upside down over the centuries. It's even wiped a few off the map. I mean, one person gets their wish, it's trouble, but everybody gets their wish..."

"It's chaos." I finished.

"Any way to stop it?" Sam asked.

"There's one way. We have to find whoever dropped the coin in and made the first wish. They're the only ones who can pull it back out and reverse the wishes."

"So for now, we've got a couple of nutso dreams come true, but once the word gets out about the well, things are just gonna get crazier and crazier." Dean muttered, heading over to the refrigerator to get a beer.

"No, no." I said, taking the can out of his hand.

"Why not?"

"Dean, you just puked your guts out. Alcohol is not something you want to have right now."

"Yeah, it is."

I shook my head, handing him a bottle of water. "Drink this."

"Tor-"

"Dean, come on."

"Fine." Dean nodded, opening the bottle, taking a few swigs of the cold water.

"Feel better?"

"...no." Dean mumbled, sitting down on the edge of one of the beds. "So, let's go through this. Who made wishes?"

"Well, we got teddy bear, lottery guy, invisible pervert guy." Sam rattled off. "They all must have wished sometime in the last two weeks. But who wished first? And how are we supposed to know who else wished for what when?"

"Well, it helps when they announce it in the paper. Goes back a month." Dean shrugged.

Sam nodded, flipping through a few pages in the news paper. "Wesley Mondale and Ms. Hope Lynn Casey have announced their surprise engagement."

"Ah, true love."

"Best lead we got."

* * *

 **MONDALE HOUSE – DAY**

Once Dean convinced me he was feeling well enough, we made our way over to Wesley Mondale's house, hoping we'd be able to find something that could help us along with this case. I knocked on the door, hearing footsteps rushing over to it before the brunette from the restaurant answered, a big smile on her face.

"Hi, are you Hope Casey?"

"Yes. Who are you?"

"We-"

"Are you florists?" She asked, sounding excited.

"Do we look like florists?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

I smacked him in the stomach, chuckling as I smiled back at her. "This joker. Of course we are."

"Oh, yay! Come on in." Hope smiled, leading us to the house and over to a living room where a nerdy looking man was sitting on a couch, watching TV. "Wes! You didn't tell me that you called the florists for the wedding."

"Huh?" Wes asked.

"You're the best!" Hope exclaimed, placing a kiss on his cheek. "I'm gonna go get my folders."

"Uh, o- okay." Wes nodded as Hope rushed upstairs.

"Wesley, how's it going?" Dean asked.

"It's Wes...aren't you the guys from the health department?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "And florists on the side."

"Plus FBI. And on Thursdays, we're teddy bear doctors."

"Huh?"

"It doesn't matter _who_ we are. It matters what we know." I said.

"So, coin collector, huh, Wes?" Sam asked, gesturing to the wall of framed coins.

"Oh. Yeah. My grandfather gave them to me."

"Did you happen to lose one of those coins lately?" Dean asked. "And by _lose_ , I mean drop into a wishing well at Lucky Chin's and make a wish on it?"

"No, I- I don't know what you're talking about." Wes scrambled as Hope bounded back over to us with a huge folder full of papers.

"Okay, now. I have a lot of ideas, but, you know, we don't have all the money in the world. Wes is between jobs right now. Means more time for me. You know, I'm thinking a Japanese-y ikebana kind of thing."

"Yes." Dean nodded. "I can see it."

"Hope, why don't you tell us how you two lovebirds met." I said.

"Oh, best day of my life." She smiled.

"I bet." Dean mumbled.

"Yeah! It's the funniest thing. We both grew up here, but I never really knew who he was. Not by name anyway. Until one day last month, it was like I just- I just _saw_ him for the first time. He was just...glowing. Oh, just glowing."

"Uh, babe, can you- can you get us some coffee?" Wes asked, swallowing nervously.

"Yes. Yeah." Hope nodded, kissing Wes over and over, barely coming up for air. Dean and I shared a glance, looking back to them as Hope kept kissing him.

"Oh, okay." Wes muttered as Hope trailed a hand down his chest, disappearing into the kitchen.

"Wes, we know." Sam said. "So tell us the truth."

"My- my grandfather found the coin in north Africa, you know, World War II. And he brought it back. He said it was a real wish-granting coin, but that nobody should ever use it. It was all I had, and when he died, I thought, well, you know what? Why not give the coin a shot?"

"Yeah, well, now you're gonna wish it back."

"Oh. No, I'm not."

"If you don't stop it, something bad's gonna happen." Dean said.

"Something bad." Sam nodded. "Like us."

"We really wish you'd come with us, Wes." I said, shook him a small smile, the threat clear behind all of our eyes. Wes swallowed hard, nodding as he got to his feet.

* * *

 **IMPALA – DAY**

Back out on the road, Dean was driving and Sam was sitting in the passenger seat, leaving Wes and I in the back as the trees sped past the car.

"I don't get it. So, my wish came true. Why does that have to be a bad thing?" Wes asked.

"Because the wishes go south, Wes. Your town is going insane." Sam replied.

"Come on, you're gonna sit there and tell me that your relationship with Hope is functional? That it's what you wished for?" Dean asked.

"I wished she would love me more than anything."

"Yeah, and how is that going?" Sam asked. "That seem healthy to you?"

"Well, it's a hell of a lot better than when she didn't know I was alive. Any of you in a relationship?"

"Yeah." I nodded over to Dean. "We are."

"See?" Wes asked. "And you love each other, right?"

"Well, yeah."

"Do you know how lucky you are to have each other? Because think about living in a world where either one of you still feeling that way when the other doesn't even know you exist."

"Kind of know what that feels like, buddy." Dean mumbled.

"What?"

"Look, what we've got, it didn't just fall into our laps. Things were hard and they sucked. Bad. For a while. Then we got together." Dean explained. "You don't know how many guys I had to watch her with before that."

"Hey, I had to watch you with _way_ more girls." I said, looking over at him with a raised eyebrow. Dean shrugged, not able to argue with that.

"Okay, but you still got together. And I mean, come on, do you think I could ever in my life get a girl like this... _naturally_?" Wes asked, gesturing over to me. "I don't think so."

Dean nodded. "Well..."

"Dean." I scolded, looking over at Wes. "Why not?"

"Have you looked at me?" He asked.

"Yes, I have."

"And would you date me?"

"...that- that's not the point."

"And that's a no."

"Wes, what I'm saying is that just because you might not be _my_ type doesn't mean that there isn't a girl out there who will really care for you, because you're _you_ and not because you wished for her to."

"Sure. That's worked out so well for me so far."

"You're not supposed to get what you want, man, not like this. Nobody is." Dean said. "That's what the coin does. It takes your heart's desires and it twists it back on you. You hear of the whole, _be careful what you wish for_?"

" _Careful what you wish for._ You know who says that? Good-looking jerks like you guys, the ones who've got it so easy because you happen to be...beautiful."

" _Beautiful_?"

"Wait, easy?" Sam asked. "Believe us, we do not have it easy."

"We are miserable." I said.

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "We never get what we want. In fact, we have to fight tooth and nail just to keep whatever it is we got."

"But you know what? Maybe that's the whole point, Wes." Sam said.

"Yeah, people are people 'cause they're miserable bastards, 'cause they never get what they really want."

"Right, yeah. You get what you want, you get crazy."

"Take a look at Michael Jackson, huh? Or Hasselhoff."

"You know what? Hope loves me now. Completely. And it's awesome. Besides, look around. Where's all this insanity you guys were talking about?" Wes asked.

Almost as if on cue, the Impala pulled up in front of a large truck that the bullies were seated inside, the younger boy lifting the car up with one hand.

"Well, that should cover it." Dean muttered as the boy tipped the vehicle over onto it's side.

"Kneel before Todd! Kneel before Todd!" Todd exclaimed, rocking the car back and forth.

"I'll handle Todd. You get Wes to Lucky Chin's." Dean said, getting out of the Impala.

"Dean?" I called, looking out the window.

"What?"

"I never thought I'd say this in a situation where you're going to talk to an eight year old, but...be careful, okay?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded as Sam slid into the driver seat, heading back out onto the main road.

* * *

 **LUCKY CHIN'S** **–** **DAY**

Sam parked the car out in front of the restaurant, he and I getting out. I held the door open, looking back down into the car at Wes, who just sat there, seemingly in shock.

"Come on, Wes." I muttered.

"That- that kid turned over that car like it was nothing."

"You should have seen the teddy bear. Now, come on. Fun's over. Time to pull the coin." Sam said, walking around to my side, hauling Wes out of the car.

"Well, why can't we just get what we want?" Wes asked.

"Because that's life, Wes."

Suddenly, a single strike of lightening came down from the sky, hitting Sam, sending him flying to the ground. My eyes widened as I bent down, checking his pulse, feeling my heart drop inside my chest.

"No, no." I murmured, pushing his hair off his face. "No, Sam..."

"Oh my god." Wes mumbled.

I stood to my feet, grabbing Wes by the collar, pushing him up against the side of the Impala. "You go and fix this right now, or so help me...you don't want to know what I'll do to you. Or worse, what Dean's gonna do!"

"Okay, okay!"

"Go!" I exclaimed, pushing him forward into the restaurant. Following him inside, I saw Hope standing in front of the well, quickly pulling out another coin when she saw me, holding it over the water in the fountain.

"Hope?" Wes called. "Hope, no. Don't do that."

"I have to, don't I? They're gonna make you wish away our love." She replied.

"You wished a man dead?"

"I love you more than anything."

"Stop saying that!"

"But I do. More than anything. More than me. More than life. Oh, Wes. Don't hate me." Hope sobbed as Wes went over to her.

"It'll be okay. I'll make it okay. It's gonna be okay." Wes murmured, bending down to remove the coin from the fountain. I looked back outside, seeing Sam waking up and quickly rushed over to his side, helping him off the ground.

"Come on. You okay?"

"What- what happened?"

"You died."

"I, what?" Sam asked, his eyes going wide.

"It's okay. Wes got the coin. Everything's back to normal now." I said, leading Sam back inside with me.

"Hope." Wes murmured.

"Do I know you?" Hope asked, looking up at him in confusion before turning and walking out of the restaurant. Wes walked over to us dejectedly, handing Sam the coin before leaving.

* * *

 **PIER – DAY**

Dean and I sat next to each other on a bench towards the end of the pier, looking out onto the sparkling water as it sloshed back and forth in front of us, waiting for Sam to get back from melting the coin down. Dean placed the newspaper next to us, a large headline reading _Winning Lottery Ticket A Fake._ Audrey walked by with her very sunburned parents, carrying a now much smaller version of her teddy bear.

The only difference was the clear bullet hole through his head. My mouth dropped open as I stared at it, my mind wandering.

The bear didn't...oh my god.

"You know, I agree with something Wes said."

"What?" I asked, glancing over at Dean.

"I'm lucky to have you. All the things that have happened and I just- I'm really lucky to have someone like you. Someone that understands me."

"Me too." I smiled.

"Well, the coin's melted down." Sam announced, walking up behind us. "It shouldn't cause any more problems."

"Audrey's parents are back from Bali. Looks like all the wishes are gone. And so are we." Dean sighed as we got up, heading back for the Impala. I glanced back, seeing that he stopped walking. "Hang on a second."

"What?"

"You were right."

"About what?"

"I shouldn't have lied to you." Dean mumbled, looking up at Sam and I. "I do remember everything that happened to me in the pit. Everything."

"So tell me about it."

"No. I won't lie anymore. But I'm not gonna talk about it."

"Dean, look, you can't just shoulder this thing alone. You got to let us help."

"How? Do you really think that a little heart-to-heart, some sharing and caring, is gonna change anything? Somehow heal me? I'm not talking about a bad day here."

"I know that."

"The things that I saw...there aren't words. There is no forgetting. There's no making it better. Because it is right here in my head...forever. You wouldn't understand. And I could never make you understand." Dean said, moving past us, heading back to the Impala.

* * *

 **To answer Kim's question again, Tori's father is not an angel. Everything will be revealed eventually when it comes to that stuff ;)**

 **Also, I agree that Cas being Tori's father would've been a good plot twist, and I even considered it, but I thought it would end up being too weird with some of the things that happen in the show that I would like to keep in the story and also some things that I might like to add.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Twitter: phoenixwrites79  
Instagram: phoenixwritesfanfiction**


	12. Heaven and Hell

_Started with a kick and a punch  
A cloud in the face  
And I was in the race, I was in the race  
You know it's hard sometimes  
Being humankind  
Keeping up with the pace, keeping up with the pace_

 _..._

 _If it's an eye for an eye_  
 _Then we all go blind_  
 _Is it hard to see, is it hard to see?_  
 _So far behind, no finish line_  
 _I could happen to you, it could happen to me_  
 _….._

 _I'm sick of running, sick of running_  
 _Sick of running_  
 _The human race, the human race_

 _I don't belong here_  
 _Not in this atmosphere_  
 _Goodbye, goodbye_  
 _Goodbye_

 **Three Days Grace – Human Race**

* * *

The sound of rock music played loudly over the speakers of the bar, helping only slightly to drown out the constant ringing in my ears. I felt like I was going insane lately. It just didn't stop. If I was awake, my ears were ringing. If I was sleeping, my ears were ringing.

It never ended.

With a sigh, picked up another shot, downing it, nodding to the bartender to fill up the glass again. Dean noticed this, raising an eyebrow at me. "You okay?"

"No."

"The ringing?"

"Yeah." I sighed, rubbing my temples, drinking another shot. "I don't even know why I'm getting drunk, it's not like that helps any."

"We gotta try and figure out what's causing the ringing."

"It's the damn angels. Them and their stupid fucking high-pitches voices." I slurred.

"Right." Dean nodded, looking over to the bartender as he poured more whiskey into my glass. "That's enough."

"Says who?" I asked, looking up at the guy. "Keep 'em coming."

"Don't do that."

"Dean."

"Listen to me, I'm the sober one. Don't do it."

"No problem, man." The bartender nodded, moving away to another costumer.

"Dean." I whined.

"I think you're drunk enough already."

"I can still hear the ringing." I muttered, feeling myself going insane.

"Okay. Maybe we need to get you back to the motel, huh? What do you say?" Dean asked, standing up.

"I guess." I shrugged as he helped me off the stool, keeping an arm wrapped around my waist. "I'm fine, let me go."

"Tori-"

"Let me go." I repeated, looking up at him. Dean nodded, doing as I asked. I immediately felt my knees shake, quickly grabbing onto his jacket. "Don't let me go."

"Mhm." Dean mumbled, looking around the bar. "Where's Sam?"

"Over there." I murmured, pointing to the pool table where Sam was standing next to a guy, playing with him.

"Brian, come on, man, just one more. Just- just give me a chance to win it back." Sam slurred.

"It's your cash."

"What an asshole." Dean huffed, about to walk over to them when I stopped him.

"Hang on."

"Tori, he's drunk. That jerk shouldn't be making bets with him."

"He's not drunk." I said, glancing up at Dean with a small smile. "I am...he's not."

"I know you are."

"Let's make it five hundred." Sam called.

"Five hundred?" Dean asked, his eyes going wide. "Oh, come on, Sammy."

"Dean, trust me. He's not drunk."

"Are you telling me Sam's hustling some guy?"

"That's ex- exact- exact...lly- damn, that's a hard word to say when you're drunk." I muttered. Just then Sam caught our eye, raising his eyebrows at Dean, silently validating what I'd told him.

"Huh. Alright, Sammy." Dean smiled, looking over at me. "I don't remember the last time you got this sloshed."

"Oh you were in hell the last time I got _this_ drunk. I had the worst nightmare about you being stabbed oh, about a hundred times and I drank until I passed out." I said, my filter completely shut off.

"Jesus." Dean sighed, looking down at me with sad eyes. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. I mean, that wasn't the worst nightmare, but it was one of the first and it did me in."

"Shit." Dean shook his head, pulling me tighter to his side. Just then, I felt my stomach churn as Sam placed the pool cue down, muttering something to Brian about keeping the money before he walked off. "Keep the money? What?"

"Ruby." I hissed, narrowing my eyes at her.

"Whoa, hold on a minute." Dean called, holding me back as I tried to walk towards her.

"Let me go, Dean."

"Tori, I can't."

"Yes, you can!"

"If I do, you'll fall."

"I want to kill that fucking bitch."

"Believe me, so do I, but you can't do that in a crowded bar."

"Why not?"

"Come on." Dean mumbled, leading me across the bar and over to Sam and Ruby. "You got a lot of nerve showing up anywhere near me."

"I just have some info, and then I'm gone." Ruby said.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked, noticing how I was acting.

"Do I look okay?" I asked rolling my eyes. "Stupid fucking question."

"...okay. Uh, what is it, Ruby?"

"I'm hearing a few whispers." She replied.

"Great. Demon whisperers. That's reliable." Dean commented.

"A girl named Anna Milton escaped from a locked ward yesterday. The demons seem pretty keen on finding her. Apparently, some real heavy hitters turned out for the Easter-egg hunt."

"Why?" Sam asked. "Who is she?"

"No idea. But I'm thinking that she's important, 'cause the order is to capture her alive. I just figured that whatever the deal is, you might want to find this girl before the demons do."

Sam nodded, turning back to us. "Look, maybe we should check it out."

"Actually, we're working a case." Dean said.

"What case?" I asked, glancing up at him.

"Remember? That case. Big, big leads."

"No."

Dean rolled his eyes, letting out a huff. "Tor."

"What? Don't lie. Just tell the bitch that we want nothing to do with her." I said, turning back to Ruby.

"Yeah, you know, Tori's right. We're not goose-chasing after some chick who, for all we know, doesn't even exist, just because you say she's important."

"And we don't want anything to do with you. Bitch."

"Tori, come on." Sam muttered, shaking his head.

"Listen, I'm just delivering the news." Ruby shrugged. "You can do whatever you want with it. Far as I'm concerned, I told you, I'm done."

"This hospital Anna escaped from, it got a name?"

* * *

 **MOTEL – NIGHT**

My head pounded as I sat curled up in the bed, the sheets wrapped around me, nursing a hot cup of coffee in my hands. The coffee certainly was helping sober me up, but it was also sending me headfirst into a horrible hangover.

"Can I get a copy of the missing persons report? Okay? Great, thanks." Sam muttered into his phone, handing up.

"Don't talk so loud." I mumbled, snuggling deeper into Dean's jacket that was draped around my shoulders, trying to ignore the throbbing and ringing in my head.

"Um, sorry." Sam practically whispered. "Well, Anna Milton's definitely real."

"Don't mean the case is real." Dean said. "And this hospital's a three-day drive."

"We've driven further for less, Dean. Listen, you got something to say, say it."

"Oh, I'm saying it. This sucks."

"You're not pissed we're going after the girl. You're pissed Ruby threw us the tip."

"Right. 'Cause as far as you're concerned, the hell-bitch is practically family."

"Dean a lot-"

"Happened while I was gone. I know. But I come back, and- and you're BFF's with a demon?"

"Dean, that's not true." Sam muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, it's not? 'Cause you seem to put an awful lot of faith in her."

"Can you shut off the lights?" I asked, cracking an eye open, nodding to the light next to me. "My head is killing me."

"Sure, babe." Dean nodded, walking across the room to turn the lamp near Sam off just as he picked up a book to start reading.

"Dean!" Sam exclaimed.

"What? Tori asked."

"You're ridiculous, you know that? She meant her light."

"My bad."

I let out a heavy sigh, rolling my eyes behind my eyelids as Dean made his way over to me, shutting the light off before lying down beside me, pulling me into his arms where I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **HOSPITAL – DAY**

After a long three day drive, we'd finally made our way to the hospital this Anna girl escaped from, following her psychologist into the room she had occupied when she was here.

"The orderly has no recollection of Anna's escape?" Sam asked.

"Apparently, she knocked him unconscious. The blow caused some amnesia. He doesn't even remember coming into her room."

"That's a hell of a right hook to knock out a guy that's got eighty pounds on her." Dean pointed out.

"We think she may have planned this, waited behind the door."

"You mentioned Anna's illness was recent?" I asked.

"Two months ago, she was a happy, well-adjusted, journalism major with lots of friends. She had bright future." The psychologist replied.

"So, what happened?" Dean asked. "She just...flipped?

"Well, that's the tragedy of schizophrenia. Within weeks, Anna was overtaken by delusions."

I nodded. "What kind of delusions?"

"She thought demons were everywhere." The psychologist said, handing me a sketch book. "It's not uncommon for our patients to believe that monsters are real."

"Well, that's just batty." Dean muttered as I started flipping through the pages, seeing some sketches of what appeared to be spirits floating around with _Rising of the Witnesses_ written next to them and _Samhain, the next seal is broken,_ on another. "That's Revelations."

"Since when does the Book of Revelations have jack-o'-lanterns?"

"It's a little-known translation."

"Well, Anna's father was a church deacon. When she became ill, her paranoia took on religious overtones. She was convinced the devil was about to rise up and end the world. I hope you find her. It's dangerous for her to be out there alone right now."

"Do you mind if we take this?" I asked, holding up the book.

"Not at all."

"Thank you."

* * *

 **MILTON HOME – DAY**

On the porch of the suburban home, Dean knocked on the door, a few moments passing without a response.

"Maybe they're not home."

"Both cars in the driveway." Sam shrugged.

Dean tried to open the door, finding that it was unlocked. He pushed it open and the three of us made our way inside. "Mr. And Mrs. Milton?"

"We're from the sheriff's department." I added.

"We just wanted to ask you a couple of questions." Sam finished.

We rounded the corner of the living room, finding the bodies of a man and woman lying on the floor in pools of blood, their throats slit. Sam went over to one of the bodies, finding yellow powder on the floor near them.

"Sulfur?" I asked, watching as he nodded. "The demons beat us here."

"They're not screwing around. Alright, so, I'm _Girl, Interrupted_ and I know the score of the apocalypse, just busted out of the nut-box...possibly using superpowers, by the way. Where do I go?" Dean asked, looking over at Sam and I.

I pulled out Anna's notebook, comparing the picture she'd drawn to one of the pictures of her and her family standing in front of a church, noticing the similarities between the stain glass windows. "Guys, look at this."

"She was drawing the window of her church."

"Over and over." Sam muttered.

"So, if you were religious, scared, and had demons on your ass, where would you go to feel safe?" I asked, looking back at the boys.

* * *

 **CHURCH – DAY**

The three of us made our way inside the church, our guns drawn as we checked around, not finding anything before going around to a short flight of stairs leading up to a storage room in the back. As we entered, I saw a figured hunched over in the corner, taking a few small steps in front of the boys, walking over to her.

"Anna?" I called. "My name is Tori, this is Sam and Dean. We're not gonna hurt you."

"Tori?" She asked, looking up at us. "Sam and Dean? The Winchesters?"

"Yeah."

Anna peered out, her eyes going wide when she saw us. "It's really you. Oh, my god. The angels talk about you."

"Really?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes." Anna nodded, looking over to Dean. "You were in hell, but Castiel pulled you out, and some of them think you can help save us. And some of them don't like you at all. They talk about you all the time lately. I feel like I know you."

"You talk to angels?" Dean asked.

"Oh, no. They probably don't even know I exist. I just kind of...overhear them."

"You overhear them?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, they talk, and sometimes I just...hear them in my head. Not right this second, but a lot. And I can't shut them out, there are so many of them."

"What does it sound like?" I asked.

"Ringing, a lot of the time. I can only make out a few whispers here and there." Anna replied. "You hear it, too. I know you do. The angels talked about it."

"Yeah, I- I guess." I nodded. Dean glanced between the both of us, looking a little scared for my sanity.  
"Anna, when did the voices start?" Sam asked. "Do you remember?"

"I can tell you exactly. September eighteenth."

"The day I got out of hell." Dean muttered.

"First words I heard, clear as a bell. _Dean Winchester is saved._ "

"You heard that, too?" I asked. Anna nodded in response.

"Wait, you heard... _that_?" Dean asked, looking over at me with wide eyes.

"Yeah."

"I- I don't- wow."

"I know."

"What do you think?" Dean asked, turning back to Sam.

"It's above my pay grade, man." Sam shrugged, clearly taken aback by all of this.

"Well, at least now we know why the demons want you so bad. They get a hold of you, they can hear everything the other side's cooking. You're 1-900-angel."  
"Hey, do you know, are my parents okay? I- I didn't go home. I was afraid." Anna muttered. I glanced up at Dean, neither one of us really wanting to tell her the truth about her parents.

"You got the girl." Ruby muttered, entering the room in a rush. "Good, let's go."

"Her face!"

"It's okay. She's here to help." Sam said.

"Yeah, don't be so sure." Dean added, standing in front of Anna.

"We have to hurry." Ruby told us.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because a demon's coming. Big-timer. We can fight later."

"That's pretty convenient. You show up right when we find the girl with some big-ass demon on your tail?"

"I didn't bring him here. Dean did."

"What?" Dean asked.

"He followed you from the girl's house. We got to go now."

"Guys." Sam called, pointing to a statue that began bleeding from it's eyes.

"It's too late. He's here."

Sam quickly grabbed Anna's arm, hiding her inside of a closet. "Okay. Stay in there. Don't move."

"Sam, you got to pull him right away."

"Whoa, hold on a second-" Dean started.

"Now's not the time to bellyache about Sam going darkside. He does his thing, he exorcises that demon, or we die." Ruby said as a man walked into the room, an evil grin on his face.

Sam held his hand out, trying to exorcise him, but it didn't work. The man chuckled, shaking his head. "That tickles. You don't have the juice to take me on, Sam."

The tone of his voice made me freeze, sending a chill down my spine. There was a strange familiarity to it, like I'd heard him over and over again. With a flick of his hand, the man send Sam flying out of the room, back down the small flight of stairs before stalking over to Dean, who quickly went after him with Ruby's knife. He grabbed Dean's arm, twisting it around, sending the knife flying across the room. I heard Anna scream, glancing over to see Ruby pulling her out of the closet.

But I didn't care right now.

"Hello again, Dean." He murmured, grabbing the back of Dean's head, forcing him to look into his eyes. "Come on, Dean. Don't you recognize me? Oh, I forgot. I'm wearing a pediatrician. But we were so close...in hell."

"Alastair." Dean muttered, his voice full of fear. I quickly grabbed the knife, pushing it into Alastair's side.

"You're gonna have to try a whole lot harder than that, angel." Alastair said, sneering at me as he let go of Dean. "You remember my voice, don't you? Poor little thing."

In a split second, I felt Dean grab me around my waist, pulling the both of us through the large stained-glass window at the back of the church. As we landed, I heard a crack, looking up to see Dean holding his shoulder in pain.

"Are you okay?" I asked. "Baby?"

"No." Dean groaned, his eyes widening when he looked up at me. "Tori. Your arm."

"What?" I glanced down to my left arm, seeing that, with the force of the fall, the gash lining the inside of my arm from trying to distract the Rugaru had split open again, and was bleeding profusely. "Shit."

"Guys?!" Sam called, rushing over to us. "You jumped out a fucking window?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded, letting out a groan as Sam helped him to his feet before helping me up.

* * *

 **MOTEL – NIGHT**

Back at the motel, Sam collected a needle and thread, making his way over to Dean and I as we sat on the edge of the bed, pulling up a chair in front of me, ready to begin.

I shook my head, nodding over to Dean. "Take care of him first."

"Tori, you're bleeding all over the place."

"I'm fine." I muttered, taking a swig of whiskey.

"Don't listen to her, stitch her up." Dean mumbled, taking the bottle out of my hand, drinking some of it.

"That's what I thought." Sam nodded. I let out a hiss as he pushed the needle through, beginning to stitch part of my arm back together.

"Are you almost done?" I asked a few minutes later.

"Uh, no." Sam replied. I let out a heavy sigh, resting my head on Dean's good shoulder. Sam nodded to the bottle of whiskey. "Give me that."

"Here." Dean said, holding it out to him. Sam grabbed the bottle, pouring the alcohol over my wound without warning.

"Holy fuck!" I exclaimed. "Are you kidding me?! Could've given me some warning!"

"It's better to not expect it." Sam mumbled, going back to sewing up the last few inches of the cut. "So, you lost the knife?"

"Trying to save my ass." Dean interjected.

"Who the hell was that demon?"

"No one good. We got to find Anna."

"Ruby's got her. I'm sure she's okay." Sam said, looking over to Dean after he finished my arm. "Ready?"

"I guess."

"Alright. On three. One-" Sam stopped, forcing Dean's shoulder back into back with a sickening pop.

"Woo. Talk about a fucking rush." Dean mumbled, taking another swig of whiskey. "You sure about Ruby? 'Cause I think it's just as likely she used us to find that girl and then brought that demon in to kill us."

"No, she took Anna to keep her safe."

"Yeah. Well, why hasn't she called to tell us where she is?"

"Because that demon is probably watching us right now, waiting to follow us right back to Anna again. That's why he let us go."

"You call this letting us go?" Dean asked, nodding to mine and his injuries.

"Yeah, I do." Sam nodded. "Look, killing us would've been no problem to that thing. That's why, for now, we just got to lay low and wait for Ruby to contact us."

"How's she gonna do that?"

"I'm sure she'll find a way."

"Why do you trust her so much?"

"Because. She saved my life." Sam replied. I scoffed, shaking my head. "What?"

"Saved your life? Don't you think that's being a bit dramatic?"

"Hey, you weren't there. You don't know what happened."

"Yeah, I wonder why that is."

"Anyway, after she started teaching me stuff...I learned really quick that I was a shitty student. And uh, well, uh, she- one night she- we- we had-"

"No." Dean mumbled, shaking his head. "No. I don't want to hear that."

"Hey, I'm coming clean here."

"Yeah, but now I feel dirty. Brain-stabbing imagery aside...so far, all you've told me about is a manipulative bitch who screwed you, played mind games with you, and did everything in the book to get you to go bad."

"Yeah, well, there's more to the story."

"Just skip the nudity, please."

"Pretty soon after that, um...I put together some signs...omens."

"Saying what?" I asked.

"Lilith was in town. And I wanted to strike her first. When I got to the house, there were a few demons there. Ruby came back for me. Whatever you have to say, she saved me."

"Housekeeping." A woman called through the door.

"Not now!" Dean shouted, shaking his head.

"I've got clean towels."

I let out a sigh, feeling my stomach churn as I opened the door, looking at the woman. She glanced up, shoving a small piece of paper in my hand. "I'm at this address. Go now. Go through the bathroom window. Don't stop, don't take your car, don't pass go. There are more demons in the hallway and in the parking lot."

"Ruby?" I asked.

"Okay, yes, so I'm possessing this maid for a hot minute. Sue me. Come on, you gotta go. Because coma girl? Slowly rotting on the floor back at the cabin with Anna. See you when you get there."

* * *

 **CABIN – NIGHT**

"Glad you could make it." Ruby smiled, stepping aside so we could walk into the dark room.

"Yeah, thanks." Sam nodded, looking over at Anna. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I think so. Ruby's not like other demons. She saved my life."

"Yeah, I hear she does that." Dean nodded, glancing over at Ruby. "I guess I- you know."

"What?"

"I guess I owe you for Sam. And I just wanted...you know..."

"Don't strain yourself." Ruby mumbled, crossing her arms.

"You're kidding, right?" I asked Dean, shaking my head at him before looking back to Ruby. "If you're waiting for that from me, you won't get it."

"Wasn't count on it."

"Good."

"Hey, Tori, you think it'd be safe to make a quick call, just to tell my parents I'm okay?" Anna asked. "They must be completely freaked."

I looked over at her, not meeting her eyes. "Um..."

"What?"

"Anna, your parents...they were-" I paused. "I'm sorry."

"No, they're not..." She mumbled, tears forming in her eyes. "Why is this happening to me?"

"I don't know."

Suddenly, the ringing came loudly into my ears as I looked around, seeing Anna staring in the same direction I was. "They're coming."

"Back room." Dean said.

I nodded, leading Anna to the room at the back of the cabin. "Just stay here, okay? You'll be alright."

"Okay."

I made my way back out into the main room, standing over to Dean's side as Ruby glanced over. "Alright, where's the knife?"

Dean glanced over at her. "About that..."

"You're kidding."

"Hey, don't look at me." Dean said, nodding over to me.

"Thanks a lot."

"Great. Just peachy. Impeccable timing. Really." Ruby complained.

"Oh, shove it." I mumbled, shaking my head at him. The front doors began rattling violently before bursting open, revealing Castiel and Uriel as they strode inside.

"Please tell me you're here to help." Dean said. "We've been having demon issues all day."

"Well, I can see that.." Uriel said, looking over to Ruby with disgust. "You want to explain why you have that stain in the room?"

"We're here for Anna." Castiel said.

"Here for her like... _here for her_?" Dean asked.

"Stop talking." Uriel spat. "Give her to us."

"Are you gonna help her?" Sam asked.

Castiel shook his head. "No, she has to die."

"Okay, I know she's wiretapping your angel chats or whatever, but it's no reason to gank her." Dean said.

"Don't worry. I'll kill her gentle." Uriel muttered.

"You're some heartless sons of bitches, you know that?"

"As a matter of fact, we are." Castiel mumbled. "And?"

"And?" I asked. "Anna's an innocent girl."

"She is far from innocent."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam asked.

"It means she's worse than this abomination you've been screwing." Uriel said, nodding over to Ruby. "Now give us the girl."

"Sorry. Get yourself another one." Dean said. "Try _Jdate_."

"Who's gonna stop us? You three? Or this demon whore?" Uriel asked, throwing Ruby against the wall with a flick of his wrist. Dean attacked him, throwing punches at the angel as I ran to the back of the room, a strange image flickering in my head.

"Cas, stop...please." Sam pleaded. Castiel reached out, touching Sam's forehead, sending him falling to the ground.

The same image kept re-appearing in my head, and for some reason it was like my mind went on autopilot as I grabbed my knife, pressing it hard against my wrist, allowing my blood to flow out from the deep cut. I glanced back to see Castiel walking towards me, noticing he wasn't moving as fast as he probably could have to get to me.

Over his shoulder, I saw Uriel punch Dean. I quickly dabbed my fingers in my blood, drawing the symbol I saw in my head on the wall.

"I've been waiting for this." Uriel muttered, punching Dean again. I slapped my bloody hand against the middle of the symbol, sending a bright light flash throughout the room.

And when I turned around, the angels were gone.

"What the hell…?" Dean asked, looking up to see me bleeding, rushing over to my side. "Tori? Tori!" I felt myself wobble bit from the amount of blood I'd lost within the past day, feeling Dean catch me as I started to fall over. "What did you do?"

"I don't know." I murmured as Sam stirred, Ruby kneeling next to him.

"Did you kill them?"

"No. I- I think I just sent them away."

Dean nodded, helping me down to the ground to sit. "You want to tell me how?"

"It just popped in my head." I said, nodding to the symbol. "I don't know how I knew what to do. I just did."

* * *

A little while later, Ruby was keeping Anna company in the back room while Dean, Sam and I stayed out in front. Dean just finished patching up my wrist as Sam stood a few feet away, staring over at me.

I glanced up at him. "Sam, if there's something you want to say…."

"I just don't get how you knew to do that."

"Join the club."

"I mean, that was a blood spell." Sam muttered. I started to feel a little anxious, starting to worry even more how I knew to do something so...insane. "It's some serious shit. How did you just think it and- and do it?"

"Sam, maybe we should just lay off the twenty questions for now, huh?" Dean asked, shooting Sam a pointed look.

"Yeah, sure." Sam nodded, shooting me a small smile.

"You may have sent the angels to the outfield, but, sooner or later, they're gonna be back."

"What do we do?" I asked.

"We got to get ourselves safe. Now."

* * *

 **BOBBY'S PANIC ROOM – DAY**

After a night-long drive, we finally arrived at Bobby's place, making our way down to the panic room he'd built, knowing that Anna – and the rest of us, aside from Ruby – would stay safe in there.

"Iron walls drenched in salt." Dean nodded. "Demons can't even touch the joint."

"Which I find racist, by the way." Ruby muttered from outside.

"Write your congressman."

"Here."

"Hex bags?" I asked, taking them from her.

"Extra-crunchy. They'll hide us from angels, demons, all comers."

Dean nodded. "Thanks, Ruby."

I glanced over at him, shaking my head before handing a hex bag to Anna. "Here. Don't lose this, okay?"

"So, uh, either of you getting anything on _angel radio_?" Dean asked, looking between Anna and I.

"Angel radio?" I asked. "Come on, first demon sense and now angel radio?"

"Well, what else do you want do call it?"

"I'd prefer to not have to call it anything."

"Yeah, well." Dean shrugged. "Hearing anything useful?"

"It's quiet. Dead silence." Anna mumbled. Dean nodded, glancing over at me.

I shrugged. "Yeah. Things are quiet."

"So, you mean to tell me that for the first time in months, you're not hearing any ringing?"

"No."

"Good. That's not troubling at all."

"We're in trouble, huh?" Anna asked, looking between Dean and I. "You guys are scared?"

"Nah." Dean muttered as I shook my head.

"Hey, guys!" Sam called from upstairs, making his way down.

"How's the car?"

"I got her. She's fine." Sam nodded. "Where's Bobby?"

"The Dominican." I replied. "He said that if we break anything, we buy it."

"He's working a job?"

"God, I hope so." Dean muttered. "Otherwise, he's at hedonism in a banana hammock and a trucker cap."

"Dean." I complained, shaking my head. "That image."

"Yeah, now that's seared in my brain." Sam chuckled.

"Anna?" I called, looking back at her, a question picking at my brain since we'd left the cabin. "Is there anything you want to tell us?"

"About what?" She asked.

"The angels said you were guilty of something. Why would they say that?"

"You tell me. Tell me why my life has been leveled...why my parents are dead. I don't know. I swear. I would give anything to know."

"Okay. Then let's find out."

* * *

About five hours later, Dean and I pulled up in front of Pamela's house, parking the car out by the sidewalk as we went up to her front door, knocking on it.

She opened the door, a small smile on her face. "You two lovebirds."

"How'd you know it was us?" Dean asked.

"Please, I can practically smell your love in the air." Pamela laughed. "Well, that sounds a little dirty, doesn't it?."

I smiled. "It's good to see you, Pam."

"That's nice. I can't say the same."

"Oh, Jesus. I'm so sorry-"

"Oh, stop it. I'm kidding. Well, I'm not. I'm still blind, but you get what I mean." She muttered, taking one of mine and Dean's hands in each other hers, a smirk crossing her lips. "Ooh."

"What?"

"You two are gonna have some _good_ sex later."

"Do we ever have _bad_ sex?" Dean asked, chuckling.

"Hmm." Pamela paused, squeezing our hands. "...no."

"That's right."

"Thanks for the heads up, Pam." I laughed.

"No problem-o. Ready to go?"

"If you are." Dean nodded. "Anything you need me to take?"

"I might've lost my eyes, but not my strength, Dean." Pamela joked, throwing her bag over her shoulder.

"Alright then."

"So, how are the nightmares?"

"They're uh- they're gone." I mumbled.

"Completely? They never came back?"

"No. Not really."

"Good."

"Yeah." I nodded, glancing over at Dean to see him staring down at the ground.

* * *

 **BOBBY'S HOUSE – DAY**

Once we got back to the house, Pamela held onto my arm as we walked down the steps to the basement, Dean behind us with her bag slung over his shoulder.

"We're here!" I announced.

"Pamela, hey!" Sam smiled, standing to his feet.

"Sam?" Pamela called, holding her hands out. I rolled my eyes, knowing she was faking it. "Sam? Sam, is that you?"

"It's me. It's Sam. I'm right here."

"Oh. Know how I can tell?" Pamela asked, grabbing Sam's ass. "That perky little ass of yours. You could bounce a nickel off that thing. Of course I know it's you, grumpy. Same way I know that's a demon, and that poor girl's Anna. And that you've been eying my rack."

"Uh..." Sam scrambled, glancing up at Dean and I.

"Don't sweat it, kiddo. I still got more senses than most."

"Got it."

"Hey, Anna. How are you? I'm Pamela." She smiled, walking over to her.

"Hi."

"Dean and Tori told me what's been going on. I'm excited to help."

"Oh. That's nice of you."

"Oh, well, not really. Any chance I can dick over an angel, I'm taking it."

"Why?" Anna asked.

"They stole something from me." Pamela said, pulling her glasses off to reveal pure white eyes. "Demon-y, I know. But they're just plastic. Good for business. Makes me look extra-psychic, don't you think? Now, how about you tell me what your deal is?"

"Pamela's gonna be able to help you, Anna." I said, walking over. "She helped me."

"Damn right I did." Pamela nodded, stepping into the panic room. "Lie down."

"Okay." Anna nodded, laying down on the table inside the room, pulling in a deep breath.

"Nice and relaxed. Now, I'm going to count down from five to zero. When we're at zero, you'll be in a deep state of hypnosis. As I count down, just go deeper and deeper, okay? Five, four, three, two, one...deep sleep. Deep sleep. Every muscle calm and relaxed. Can you hear me?"

"I can hear you." Anna murmured, sounding kind of out of it.

"Now, Anna, tell me...how can you hear the angels?"

"I don't know. I just can."

"Your father...what's his name?"

"Rich Milton."

"Alright. But I want you to look further back...when you were very young...just a couple of years old."

"I don't want to."

"It'll be okay. Anna, just one look. That's all we need."

"No."

"What's your dad's name?" Pamela asked. "Your real dad. Why is he angry at you?"

"No. No!" Anna screamed.

"Calm down."

"He's gonna kill me!"

"Anna, you're safe."

"No!" Anna shouted, the light bulb above her exploding, sending glass shattering everywhere. "He's gonna kill me!"

"It's alright, Anna." Pamela muttered. "Wake in one, two, three, four, five. Anna? You alright?"

"Thank you, Pamela." Anna mumbled, her voice different somehow as she sat upright. "That helps a lot. I remember now."

"Remember what?" Sam asked.

"Who I am."

"I'll bite." Dean sighed. "Who are you?"

"I'm an angel. Don't be afraid, I'm not like the others."

"I don't find that very reassuring." Ruby muttered.

"Neither do I." Pamela agreed.

"So...Castiel, Uriel – they're the ones that came for me?" Anna asked.

"You know them?" Sam asked.

"We were kind of in the same foxhole."

"So, what, were they like your bosses or something?" Dean asked.

"Try the other way around."

"But now they want to kill you?" Pam asked.

"Orders are orders. I'm sure I have a death sentence on my head."

"Why?"

"I disobeyed...which, for us, is about the worst thing you can do. I fell."

"Meaning?" Dean asked.

"She fell to earth." I muttered. "She became human."

"Wait a minute, I don't understand." Sam started. "So, angels can just become human?"

"It kind of hurts. Try cutting your kidney out with a butter knife. That kind of hurt. I ripped out my grace." Anna explained.

"Your what?" I asked.

"My grace. It's... energy. Hacked it out and fell. My mother, Amy, couldn't get pregnant. Always called me her little miracle. She had no idea how right she was."

"So, you just forgot that you were God's little Power Ranger?" Dean asked.

"The older I got, the longer I was human, yeah."

"I don't think you all appreciate how completely screwed we are." Ruby muttered.

"Ruby's right. Heaven wants me dead."

"And hell just wants her. A flesh-and-blood angel that you can question, torture. One that bleeds. Sister, you're the Stanley Cup. And sooner or later, heaven or hell, they're gonna find you."

"I know. And that's why I'm gonna get it back."

I glanced over at her, confused. "Get what back?"

"My grace."

"You can do that?" Dean asked.

"If I can find it."

"So, what, you're just gonna take some divine bong hit, and shazam, you're _Roma Downey_?"

"Something like that."

"Where's your grace?" I asked.

"I lost track. I was falling about ten thousand miles per hour at the time."

"You mean falling, like, literally?" Sam asked.

"Yes."

"Like the way a human eye can see? Like a comet, maybe? Or a meteor?"

"Why do you ask?"

* * *

A while later, Dean had brought Pamela back to her house. I stayed behind, helping Sam do some research. After some time, I made my way into the kitchen to get something to drink, pausing at the doorway as I overheard Sam and Ruby talking.

"Here. In march eighty-five, a meteorite vanished in the night sky over northwestern Ohio. It was sighted nine months before Anna was born, and she was born in that part of Ohio." Sam muttered.

"You're pretty buff for a nerd." Ruby smiled.

"Look, I think it was Anna and here, same time, another meteor over Kentucky."

"And that's her grace?"

"Might be."

"Alright. That just narrows it down to an entire state."

"Look, it's a start."

"Sam, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For bringing you this mess. If I had known, I would have kept my trap shut."

"Yeah, well, we'll muddle through."

"Not this time. You do not want to get between these two armies. It's Godzilla and Mothra. If one side doesn't get us, the other one will."

"So, what do you want to do? Dump Anna and run? Forget it." Sam said, shaking his head. "Look, I know the angels freak you out."

"Forget the angels. It's Alastair I'm scared of." Ruby said, a chill running down my spine at the very mention of his name.

"Alastair?"

"You met him in the church. Practically the grand inquisitor downstairs. Picasso with a razor. You should pull him out and throw him back in the pit...if you weren't so out of shape."

"Ruby-"

"No. Your abilities – you're getting flabby."

"Yeah, so how do I tone up?"

"You know how. You know what you got to do."

"No, I'm not doing that anymore." Sam said, a strange tone covering his voice.

"Sam..."

"I said no."

"Well, then you better pray that Anna gets her groove back, or we're all dead." Ruby said, walking into the kitchen, stopping when she saw me standing there. "Eavesdropping?"

"What does Sam have to do?" I asked.

"I don't think I should be the one to tell you that."

"Why not?"

"Because you already want to kill me."

"Can we talk for a minute?"

"About what?"

"We're caught between angels and demons here, with no way out, right?"

"Essentially."

"What if there was a way we could get out of this alive?"

"What are you thinking?"

"I don't know if you'll like it."

"And I don't know what else I have to do to prove to you that I'm here to help. I'll do whatever I can."

"Good. Because I have a plan."

* * *

After my talk with Ruby, our plan was set in motion. I felt like I was making a deal with a demon all over again, but this was my only hope if I wanted to get the people I cared about out of this in one piece.

Upon hearing the Impala pulled up in front of the house, I made my way out as Dean got out of the car.

"Hey. How was the drive?" I asked, walking over to his side.

"Alright." Dean sighed, pulling me to his side as we leaned against the Impala.

"How's Pamela?"

"Okay." Dean replied. "She said she was sorry. It's just after last time...this is just a little too rich for her blood."

"I don't blame her." Anna muttered, walking over to us. "You guys should do the same."

"Well, we're not that smart. Can I ask you a question? Why would you fall? Why would you want to be one of us?"

"You don't mean that."

"I don't? A bunch of miserable bastards...eating, crapping, confused, afraid."

"I don't know. There's loyalty...forgiveness..." Anna trailed off.

"Pain." I murmured.

"Chocolate cake."

"Guilt." Dean added.

"Love." Anna smiled, glancing down to Dean's arm wrapped around my shoulders, and mine around his mid-section. "Sex."

"Yeah, you got me there."

"I mean it. Every emotion, even the bad ones, that's why I fell. It's why I'd give anything not to have to go back. Anything."

"How's that possible? You guys are powerful and perfect. You don't doubt yourselves or God or anything."

"Perfect...like a marble statue. Cold, no choice. Only obedience. Do you know how many angels have actually seen God? Seen his face?"

"All of you?" Dean asked.

Anna shook her head. "Four angels. Four. And I'm not one of them."

"That's it?" I asked.

"Well, then how do you even know that there is a God?" Dean asked.

"We have to take it on faith...which we're killed if we don't have."

"Hey." Sam called from the doorway.

"Did you find something?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I think so." Sam nodded, waiting for us to enter the house before he filled us in. "Union, Kentucky. Found some accounts of a local miracle. In 'eight-five, there was an empty field outside of town. Six months later, there was a full-grown oak. They say it looks a century old at least."

"Anna, what do you think?"

"The grace, where it hit, it could have done something like that, easy." She nodded.

"So grace, ground zero. It's not destruction. It's-"

"Pure creation." I finished.

* * *

 **UNION, KENTUCKY – DAY** **  
 **Oak Field****

The five of us made our way through the huge field, walking over to the giant oak tree that had grown right smack in the middle of it.

"It's beautiful." Dean mumbled.

"It's where the grace touched down. I can feel it." Anna nodded, putting a hand on the trunk. "Wait. It's not here. Not anymore. Someone took it."

* * *

"We still got the hex bags. I say we head back to the panic room." Dean said, turning around in the abandoned barn to look at us.

"What, forever?" Ruby asked incredulously.

"I'm just thinking out loud!"

"Oh, you call that thinking?"

"Do you really want to start that shit now?" I snapped, narrowing my eyes at her.

"I got nothing to lose."

"Hey!" Sam called. "Stop it."

"Anna's grace is gone. You understand? She can't angel up. She can't protect us. We can't fight heaven _and_ hell. One side maybe, but not both. Not at once."

"Guys?" Anna called. "The angles are talking again."

"What are they saying?" Sam asked.

"It's weird, like a recording, a loop. It says, _give us Anna by midnight, or we hurl Dean Winchester back to damnation_."

"Well, that's not gonna happen." I said, turning to Anna, barely able to believe what I was about to ask. "Do you know of any weapon that can kill an angel?"

"Nothing we could get to. Not right now, anyway."

"Okay, wait." Dean muttered, shooting me a wide-eyed look. "I say we call Bobby. We get him back from hedonism-"

"What is he gonna tell us that we don't already know?"

"I don't know, but we got to think of something!" Dean said, storming outside. I quickly followed after him, finding him taring through the backseat of the Impala.

"Dean, what are you doing?" I asked, sliding inside next to him.

"I'm looking for a way out of this mess."

"There's only one way out." I muttered.

"What?" Dean asked, glancing back at me, seeing the look in my eyes, knowing what I meant. "Tori, no. We can't do that."

"Yeah, we can, Dean."

"No, we can't."

"Why not? Give me one good reason. One reason why you should die for her."

"I- I don't- maybe I don't deserve to stick around."

"What?" I asked, surprised by his answer.

"Everything I did down there...did you see all of it?" Dean asked, a tortured look coming into his eyes when he stared up into mine.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, playing dumb.

"You know what I'm talking about. Tell me the truth."

"...yes."

"Everything?"

"Yeah."

"How the hell can you even look at me?"

"Because, I'm sure you had a reason-"

"I was weak!" Dean exclaimed suddenly.

"Don't say that."

"I couldn't take it anymore. So I did what I couldn't live through to somebody else. You can't look me in the eyes and tell me that I am not horrible. That I shouldn't be dead for what I did."

I felt anger surge through me, grabbing Dean's chin, forcing him to look at me. "Don't you ever say that to me. Ever."

"Why should I live and let something happen to her?"

"Lucifer."

"What?"

"Lucifer fell, Dean. Are you telling me you're worse than him?"

"Is Anna anything like that? Like Lucifer?"

"As far as I'm concerned, all angels are dicks. All of them. One hasn't proved that wrong yet." I said. "Dean, what you did...it wasn't your fault."

"You can't keep making excuses for me, Tor."

"I'm not. That's what I believe. Whatever you did, that's not who you are. It never will be. You can't tell me otherwise because I know you, Dean. Our souls, we're bound, remember?" I asked, tears springing to my eyes. "I felt it in those dreams, how you hesitated. How you hated every single second of what happened in that last month."

"Ten years."

"What?"

"Each month was like ten years."

"It was?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, then you hated every single second of those ten years." I said, looking up into his eyes. "No one could make me believe anything else, Dean. Okay? Not even you. Because no matter how much you try to lie to yourself, to convince yourself that you're worthless, I know the truth. You're the completely opposite." I murmured, running a hand through the hair at the back of his head. "And you're not alone. Ever. Because I will always be here for you. _Always_. Okay?"

"Okay." Dean nodded, resting his forehead against mine.

"Good."

Dean cradled my face in his hands, placing a gentle kiss on my lips. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down to me slightly as I felt his hands drift down to my waist, pulling me to him. It didn't take long for the situation to escalate, with me moving to Dean's lap, my legs on either side of his as we kissed.

"What if this is our last night?" Dean asked, pulling back slightly.

"We're not dying tonight, Dean."

"I don't know. We're caught in a war between angels and demons..."

"And we're not dying. Not tonight."

"How can you be so sure?"

"'Cause I won't let that happen." I murmured, pulling him down to kiss me again, pushing his jacket off his shoulders.

Dean leaned forward slightly, allowing me to slip his jacket and shirt off before he moved back into place, pulling my shirt over my head, running his hands over my sides until he got to my bra clasp, undoing it. After some finagling, Dean and I were both completely naked. I bent down to kiss him again as I started rubbing myself against him, the both of us moaning into each other's mouths.

"I want you so bad right now." I murmured, running my hands through is hair as he easily slipped into me.

"Fuck...you're so wet." Dean moaned, keeping his hands on my hips as I moved on top of him.

"You feel...so good." I breathed, moving up and down on him. I was so ready for him before we even really started that I felt my orgasm bubbling up in my stomach, moving faster against him as he leaned down, kissing my chest.

The rubber band in my stomach snapped as I clutched onto Dean's shoulders, moaning as I came around him. Once I had calmed down slightly, Dean placed his hands on my back, gently moving me to lie down on the backseat. I hung my leg over the back of the front seat, smiling up at him, watching as he guided himself inside of me, leaning down to kiss me again, moving so slow it was almost torture.

"Baby..." I half-moaned, half-complained at the pace he was going.

Dean smirked as he looked down at me, suddenly pushing all the way inside of me. I let out a gasp as he did so, pulling him back down to kiss me, wanting to feel his lips against mine as he moved his hips back and forth.

It took no time at all for me to come again, and even less time for Dean to follow along. After a few moments of the both of us lying still together in silence, the both of us drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.

My eyes fluttered open and I looked around to see that I was inside the barn...and fully clothed. I sat up, seeing Uriel standing a few feet away, staring down at me. "Look at that. It's so cute when monkeys wear clothes. Not that you currently are. Out there, anyway."

"I'm dreaming."

"It's the only way we could chat...since you're hiding like cowards."

"Where's the boss?"

"Castiel? Oh, he's not here. See, he has this weakness. He likes you. Time's up. We want the girl."

"Well, she got her grace back. So, I wouldn't try that if I were you." I muttered, trying to buy Ruby some more time, as I had no idea what she was doing right now.

"That would be a neat trick, considering I have her grace right here." Uriel said, pulling out a necklace with a small pendant at the end of it filled with a swirling, white smoke. "We can't let hell get their hooks into her."

"Then why don't you just give her back her grace?"

"She committed a serious crime. This is your last chance. Give us the girl, or-"

"Or what? You'll kill Dean?"

"And demon-blood boy. Don't test me."

"You'll leave them alone if you get Anna, right? You'll leave all of us alone?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

"You'll give her to us?"

"...yes."

My eyes snapped open to the trunk of the Impala, the daylight seeping in through the windows, the feeling Dean's weight still on top of me as he slept. I gently moved out from underneath him, thankful that he was sleeping rather soundly as I threw my shirt on, hoping Sam wasn't outside anywhere while I scrambled out of the car before putting my pants on.

I quietly moved back into the barn, finding Sam and Anna both sleeping on a couple bales of hay. I tip-toed over to them, taking each of their hex bags before heading back outside. I lit each hex bag on fire, watching them burn in a pile on the ground.

"What are you doing?" Dean asked from behind, startling me.

"Nothing." I muttered, turning around to face him. "Good morning."

" _Good_?"

"Well, last night was pretty good." I grinned, placing a loving kiss on his lips.

"It was." Dean nodded as we headed back into the barn where Sam and Anna were starting to wake up.

"Where's Ruby?" Sam asked, rubbing his eyes as he looked around, sitting up.

"She's your hell-buddy." I shrugged. Suddenly, the doors burst open with a blast of wind as Castiel and Uriel entered.

"Hello, Anna. It's good to see you." Castiel muttered.

"How did you find us?" Dean asked, glancing over at me with wide eyes as he realized what it was that I was doing outside. "Tori?"

"I'm sorry." I mumbled.

"Why?" Sam asked.

"Because they gave her a choice. They either kill me...or kill the both of you." Anna explained. "I know how their minds work."

"I'm sorry Anna, but they're my family." I said. "I have to protect them."

"I understand. And I forgive you." Anna said, standing up to face the angels. "Okay. No more tricks. No more running. I'm ready."

"I'm sorry." Castiel murmured.

"No. You're not. Not really. You don't know the feeling."

"Still, we have a history. It's just-"

"Orders are orders. I know. Just make it quick."

"Don't you touch a hair on that poor girl's head." Alastair said, appearing on the other end of the room, holding a bloodied Ruby while a few other demons lingered around.

"How dare you come in this room you pussing sore." Uriel spat.

"Name-calling. That hurt my feelings...you sanctimonious, fanatical prick."

"Turn around and walk away now." Castiel ordered.

"Sure. Just give us the girl. We'll make sure she gets punished good and proper."

"You know who we are and what we will do. I won't say it again. Leave now, or we lay you to waste."

"I think I'll take my chances." Alastair mumbled, pushing Ruby over to the side, causing her to stumble to the ground from her injuries as the angels and demons broke out into a fight. Castiel tried to exorcise Alastair, but failed, looking at him with wide eyes as he grinned.

"Sorry, kiddo. Why don't you go run to daddy?" Alastair asked, beginning to exorcise Castiel, white smoke coming out of his mouth. " _Potestas inferna, me confirma. Potestas inferna, me confirma. Potestas inferma, me confirma_!" Dean grabbed a crowbar off the ground, hitting Alastair in the head, stopping him. "Dean, I am so disappointed. You had such promise."

As Alastair lunged at Dean, I grabbed Ruby's knife from his belt, turning around, stabbing a demon that ran up behind me before helping Castiel up off the floor. He stared into my eyes for a moment, almost looking confused as to why I helped him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ruby fighting against another demon weakly, struggling as they grappled. I let out a huff, rushing over, stabbing the demon in the back, killing him.

"You- you saved me." Ruby mumbled, looking up at me with shocked eyes.

"Yeah, don't get used to it."

"No!" I heard Uriel shout, turning around to see Anna ripping the pendant from his neck, throwing it to the ground, releasing her grace, allowing it to flow into her mouth.

"Shut your eyes!" She shouted as a bright light started to take over the room. I quickly listened, shutting my eyes tightly. When I reopened them, Anna was gone, and so was Alastair, leaving only Castiel and Uriel in the room with us.

"Well, what are you guys waiting for?" Dean asked. "Go get Anna. Unless, of course, you're scared."

"This isn't over." Uriel muttered.

"Oh, it looks over to me."

"What took you so long to get here?" I asked Ruby after the angels disappeared.

"Well, sorry I'm late with the demon delivery. I was only being tortured."

"Wait, you two planned that?" Dean asked, his eyes widening. "Like, together?"

I shrugged. "It was my idea."

"And I was the one that got tortured." Ruby commented.

"...and it was all my idea." I said, glancing over at her with a smirk.

"Well, bringing the angles and demons together, that was a damn good plan." Dean nodded, a proud smile on his face.

"Thanks." I muttered, glancing over at Ruby, who had a small grin on her lips. "This doesn't make me like you, though."

"Oh, don't worry. I still hate you, too."

"Good. Bitch."

"Right back at you."

* * *

 **LAKE – DAY**

After we left the barn, we were only driving for a short while before deciding to pull over for a break. I sat on the hood of the Impala next to Sam with Dean leaning against the car on my other side, all of the staring out to the water in front of us.

"I can't believe we made it out of there." Dean muttered, glancing up at Sam. "I know you heard him."

"Who?" Sam asked.

"Alastair. What he said about how I had promise."

"Yeah, I heard him."

"You're not curious?"

"Dean, I'm damn curious. But you're not talking about hell, and I'm not pushing."

"It wasn't four months, you know."

"What?''

"It was four months up here, but down there...I don't know. Time's different. It was more like forty years."

"My god."

"They, uh... They sliced and carved and tore at me in ways that you- until there was nothing left. And then, suddenly...I would be whole again like magic just so they could start in all over." Dean muttered. "And Tori, she saw all of it."

"What?" Sam asked, his brow furrowed. "How?"

"Pamela helped me figure out that Dean and I are connected. Our souls are bound together. So I could- I could see him in hell….what was going on."

"All of it?"

"Yeah."

"When did that start?"

"Right away. The night we- the night we buried him."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"I just thought it was my head making things up. By the time I found out it was real, I was at Bobby's."

"Holy shit."

"At the end of every day, every one, Alastair would come over, and he would make me an offer. To take me off the rack...if I put souls on... if I started the torturing." Dean continued. "And every day, I told him to stick it where the sun don't shine. For thirty years, I told him. But then I couldn't do it anymore, Sammy. I couldn't. And I got off that rack. God help me, I got right off it, and I started ripping them apart. I lost count of how many souls. The- the things that I did to them."

"Dean, you held out for thirty years." Sam said, looking over at his brother with sad eyes. "That's longer than anyone would have."

"How I feel...this- inside me-" Dean paused, a tear rolling down his cheek as he glanced up to Sam and I before looking back across the water. "I wish I couldn't feel anything. I wish I couldn't feel a damn thing."

My heart broke as I looked over at him, tears streaming down my cheeks. I didn't know what to do, I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to make this better for him. There was nothing I could do right now...and that killed me.

* * *

 **Woo, this chapter was a bitch to write lol**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you liked it! You better, because I've been sitting at this computer for like seven hours and I've got some serious butt cramps started...sorry, too much information...? Okay.**

 **Twitter: phoenixwrites79** **  
 **Instagram: phoenixwritesfanfiction****


	13. Family Remains

_Mama, come here  
Approach, appear  
Daddy, I'm alone  
'Cause this house don't feel like home  
…_

 _Mother, I know  
That you're tired of being alone  
Dad, I know  
You're trying to fight when you feel like flying  
But if you love me, don't let go  
…_

 _Hold, hold onto me  
'Cause I'm a little unsteady  
A little unsteady  
Hold, hold onto me  
'Cause I'm a little unsteady  
A little unsteady_

 ** _X Ambassadors – Unsteady_**

* * *

The ache I felt in my back as my eyes opened to the dark night sky wasn't much of a surprise to me anymore. I can't remember the last time I actually slept in a bed. For the past month, we've been traveling around more erratically than normal. I'm not sure how Dean was still so awake with the lack of sleep he'd been getting. I've never seen him so high strung. He was himself, but at the same time, a whole different person. Needless to say, I was worried.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked, looking over at Dean from the backseat.

I switched spots with him before when we decided to try and get some sleep, knowing he'd be much more comfortable being able to stretch out. I let out a sigh, slowly sitting upright, glancing over at Dean to see him sorting through a piles of papers in his lap from the driver seat.

"What's it loo like I'm doing?" Dean asked.

"Like you're looking for a job."

"Yahtzee."

"We just finished a job two hours ago." I muttered, rubbing my eyes.

"Yeah, well, the adrenaline's still pumping, I guess. So, what do you think...Cedar Rapids, Tulsa, or Chi-Town?" Dean asked, glancing over at me.

"Uh-"

"Listen, I am all for working, Dean. I really am." Sam interjected. "But you got us chasing cases nonstop for like a month now. We need sleep."

Dean barely glanced up at his brother, handing me a paper to look over. "Yeah, we can sleep when we're dead."

"Dean, Sam's right. We need sleep." I said. " _You_ need sleep. You're exhausted."

"I'm good."

Sam shook his head. "You're running on fumes, and you can't run forever."

"And what am I running from?" Dean asked, raising a challenging eyebrow at his brother.

"From what you told us. Or are we pretending that never happened?"

A thick silence filled the car for a moment before Dean handed me another paper, avoiding my eyes as he did so. "Stratton, Nebraska. Farm town. A man gets hacked to death in a locked room inside a locked house. No signs of forced entry."

I let out a sigh, looking over the paper. "Sounds like a ghost."

"Yes, it does." Dean nodded.

Sam let out a big sigh, flopping back down onto the backseat. "Wake me up when we get there."

* * *

Not too long after, Sam was snoring soundly in the backseat again. I glanced over at Dean, seeing his eyes trained on the road in front of us, the green there lighting up with every streetlight we passed under.

"You should try and get some sleep, too." Dean muttered.

"What about you?"

"I'm fine."

"You know I know that's bullshit, right?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yup." Dean replied, popping the _p_.

"Why won't you talk to me, Dean?"

"We talk all the time." Dean said, glancing over at me, letting out a sigh when he saw the look I gave him. "What is there to talk about?"

"A lot, I'd say. And we haven't talked about _what I'm talking about_ since Kentucky."

"Tor, there is nothing to talk about."

"You're sticking with that story, huh?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded.

"You'll have to talk to me eventually, Dean. You can't keep it bottled up for that long."

"Can we just- can we just focus on the job here? Please?"

"That's what you say every time-"

"When this is over, I promise, we'll talk."

"Okay." I nodded, letting out a sigh.

Truthfully, I wanted to tell him to not make promises he can't keep, but I figured that would just make matters worse. Promising me we'd talk about things was his way of getting out of speaking things in the present moment. As long as he could hold it off, he would.

I just didn't understand why, though. I knew everything that happened, as much as he didn't want to believe that. What could he tell me that would be so bad at this point?

* * *

 **STRATTON, NEBRASKA - DAY  
Farm House**

By the time we'd reached the home, the sun was out, causing the house to cast a huge, eerie shadow along the large property. Dean pulled the Impala up into the long dirt driveway, parking the car. Without a word, Dean got out of the car, moving around to the passenger side as I got out, opening the door Sam was leaning against, sleeping soundly.

"Holy-" Sam exclaimed, tumbling out of the car onto the ground.

"We're here." Dean grinned, turning around, starting to walk up the driveway.

"Dick."

"What was that?"

"You heard me."

I helped Sam off the ground, the two of the making our way over to Dean, who had stopped and was staring up at the house. "Three bedrooms, two baths, and one homicide. This place is gonna sell like hotcakes."

"Some people would love to live in a haunted house." I mumbled.

"Well, those people are idiots."

"Yeah."

The three of us made our way into the home, walking into a large, country style kitchen, going through the cabinets. Dean went over to the only bare wall in the room, knocking on it, listening to the hallow sound it made. "Huh."

"It's probably a dumbwaiter." Sam shrugged. "All these old houses had them."

"Know-it-all."

"What?"

"You heard me." Dean said, a small grin on his lips.

"Come on." I shook my head, making my way up the stairs and into one of the first bedrooms with my EMF meter out, feeling Sam peek over my shoulder at it.

"Needle's all over the place."

"Yeah. The power lines."

"Great." Sam muttered, making his way over to the closet, opening it up to reveal an empty space – except for the lone doll head lying on the flood. "Uh..."

"Well, that's super-disturbing." Dean mumbled.

"Think it got left behind?"

"By who?" Dean asked as I glanced out the window, seeing a car and moving truck heading up the long driveway. "Unless Bill Gibson likes to play with doll heads."

"Guys?" I called, pointing to the cars. "We have company."

"Uh-oh." Sam murmured.

"I thought you said this place was still for sale."

"I thought it was." Dean shrugged. "Whoops."

" _Whoops_?" I repeated incredulously, raising an eyebrow.

"Come on."

The three of us quickly made our way back downstairs and out onto the front porch as the family started lugging some things out of the car. The teenage girl stopped when she saw us, glancing over at an older man with wide eyes. "Who are they?"

"Can I help you?" The man asked, looking at us suspiciously.

"Hi. Are you the new owner?" I asked.

"Yeah. You guys are…?"

"This is Mr. Stanwyck. I'm Mr. Babar. And that's Ms. Catherine." Dean introduced us. "County code enforcement."

"We had the building inspected last week. Is there a problem?"

"Asbestos in the walls, a gas leak." Sam interjected. "Yeah, I'd say we got a problem."

"Asbestos?" The woman asked. "Meaning what?"

"Meaning that until this house is up to code, it's uninhabitable." I explained.

"Whoa, whoa, you're saying we can't stay here?" The man asked.

"It's a health hazard. You don't want to." Dean said.

"Hold up." Another man asked, getting out of the back of the moving truck. "We just drove four hundred miles."

"There's a motel just down the road. Till this gets cleaned up, I suggest you stay there."

"And what if we don't?"

"Well, you get a fine or you go to jail. Pick your poison."

"One night." The other man muttered. "One night, and I'll take care of everything. ASAP, I promise."

"Yeah, you do that."

"Another motel?" The girl asked, rolling her eyes. "Awesome, Dad. I hope this one has hooker sheets, like the last one."

The woman shot her a look before turning the other direction, calling for her son Danny. The young boy ran over with a dog next to him, looking up at his mother as she explained that they couldn't move in just yet before the family got into their vehicles and drove off.

* * *

 **CURRY HOME – DAY**

"What did the room look like when you found it, Mrs. Curry?" Sam asked the woman sitting in front of us.

"I already told the local boys, there was blood everywhere." She replied in a shaky voice.

"And Mr. Gibson, where was he?" Dean asked.

"Everywhere."

Sam nodded sympathetically. "How long have you been cleaning Mr. Gibson's house?"

"About five years."

"I'd assume you knew him fairly well, then." I muttered.

"Well, not really well." She shrugged. "He was real private. Not the easiest man. Not that I blame him."

"What do you mean?"

"His wife dies in childbirth. Daughter hangs herself in the attic twenty years later. I'd be bitter, too. I think I got some pictures." Mrs. Curry said, going through a small folder in the drawer of her end table, holding them out to us. "Here."

"Thanks." Dean nodded, taking them from her. "Can we keep these?"

"Suit yourself."

"Did you ever notice anything odd in the house when you were cleaning it?"

"Like what?"

"Like, you know, lights going on and off, things not being where you left them."

"Well, maybe there was one thing. Sometimes I thought I heard like a rustling in the walls."

"Like a rat?"

"Yeah."

"Must have been some big sons of guns out there, huh?" Dean asked in a slightly joking manner.

"Wouldn't know. Never saw any."

"Do you happen to know where Mrs. Gibson and her daughter were buried?" I asked.

"They were both cremated."

"Huh." I nodded, letting out a sigh as I stood. "Well, thank you for your time. You've been a big help."

"No problem. I'll do what I can." She smiled sadly, leading us to the door.

"Alright." Sam sighed as she shut door behind us and we made our way towards the Impala sitting in front of the house. "So it probably wasn't the mom or the daughter. Whose ghost was it?"

"I don't know." Dean shrugged. "But I say we give that place a real once-over and see."

* * *

 **FARM HOUSE – DAY**

The Impala pulled up in front of the house, which was brightly lit from the inside, nearly all the lights turned on.

They went back?

"Shit. So, what now?" Dean asked, glancing between at Sam and I.

"We could tell them the truth." Sam shrugged, shrinking back slightly from the glares both Dean and I shot him.

"Really?"

"You're kidding, right?" I asked.

"Uh, yeah." Sam nodded, glancing down.

Suddenly, the sound of screaming coming from the house echoed through the night and the three of us jumped out of the car. Dean ran over to the door, ready to kick it open. I put a hand on his arm, peeking inside the house through one of the windows to see that the entire family was there, and relatively safe. I gently moved him to the side, knocking on the door. One of the men from before came over, opening it, glaring down at us.

"We heard screams. What's going on?" Dean asked.

"Oh, you three! Did you touch my daughter?!" He exploded.

"What?" I asked, furrowing my brow. "No!"

"Who are you guys?"

"Relax, please." Sam interjected, stepping forward. "You have a ghost."

"Oh, Jesus, Sam." I mumbled, shaking my head. "It's not a medical condition."

The man looked at him like he was crazy, blinking slowly. "A...ghost."

"I told you!" The girl exclaimed to her father.

"It's the girl!" The boy added.

"Both of you, relax." The man said to his children, turning back to the three of us. "What are you guys playing?"

"Your family's in danger. You need to get out of the house now." Dean said just as the lights gave out around us.

"Dammit." I murmured. "Why can't people just listen to us _before_ crap goes down?"

"I don't know." Dean sighed exasperatedly before addressing the family. "Nobody move!"

Suddenly a loud howl came from outside. In the darkness, I could see the little boy starting to move before his mother grabbed him by the shoulders. "Buster!"

The father and the other man quickly ran outside, calling for the dog while Sam and Dean followed. I led the mother and her children onto the porch with me, keeping an eye on the boys. I leaned around the banister seeing _too late_ written in red on the side of the house.

"Buster?" The little boy called again, taking a step forward. I quickly, but gently pushed him back into his mother's arms, not wanting him to see those words, knowing exactly what they were written in.

"Go back inside. Go!" The father yelled, heading back over to us.

"No, don't." I said, stopping the woman and her children. She glanced up at me, clearly not sure who to listen to in this situation.

"We are not the bad guys, but you're in danger." Dean said.

"First thing's first, you got to get your family out of here." Sam added, trying to lead the two men over to the trucks while I brought the woman and kids over.

"Head to the motel I was talking about. You'll be safe there."

"What are you three gonna do?" The father asked.

"Oh, no!" Dean exclaimed suddenly.

"What's wrong?" I asked, looking over at him with worried eyes. "Dean?"

"The tires."

"Oh, no." I murmured, looking down to see each vehicles tired completely slashed and flat.

"The guns are gone." Sam announced from the trunk of the Impala. "So is the- basically, everything is gone."

"What kind of ghost messes with a man's wheels?!" Dean practically shouted into the night sky.

"What's going on?" The girl asked, her voice full of worry.

"You- you're gonna be fine." _I hope._ I added in my mind, still trying to reassure her. She glanced up at me, letting out a loud scream as her eyes drifted over my shoulder. "What?"

"She's there!"

"Where?" I asked, whipping around, not seeing anyone.

"She was right there! In the woods!"

"In the woods…?"

"What's a ghost doing outside?" Dean asked, glancing over at me.

"You want to stay and find out?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow at us.

"Alright, everybody inside." I said, turning back to the family.

"Are you crazy?" The younger looking man asked. "We need to get the hell out of here!"

"In what?!" Dean asked. I could see his temper start to flare almost instantly as he shook his head. "This ghost is hunting us! Everybody back inside now. Move!"

I placed a hand on his arm, feeling him relax under my touch before I turned back to the mother and children, coaxing them inside while the men followed. Once we were in the dining room, Sam handed me a can of salt and I proceeded to make a circle large enough for the whole family to stand in.

"Okay, I need names." Dean said. "We can't just be shouting _hey you_ if something happens."

"Dean." I called, glancing over at him with wide eyes, seeing the fearful look on the little boy's face.

"Not that anything _is_ going to happen." Dean said, trying to recover.

"It'd really would be helpful though."

The younger man rolled his eyes as the mother nodded. "My name is Susan. That's my brother Ted and my husband Brian. This is Kate and Danny, our kids."

"Thanks." I smiled, finishing up the salt circle. "Okay, step inside."

"Inside what?" Ted asked.

"The circle."

"Whatever's outside, it can't get in this circle. As long as the salt line is unbroken, this is the safest place to be." Dean explained.

"Safe from ghosts?" Brian asked incredulously.

"Yes, as a matter of fact."

"Okay. I'm not listening to this anymore. I got to get my family out of here."

"Nobody's going anywhere until we kill this thing."

"Sir, this is what we do." I interjected, lowering my voice so only Brian could hear. "And if you want your family to survive, you have to trust us."

Brian stared down at me for a moment before leading his family into the salt circle, keeping an arm around his wife, who hadn't let go of their children. Ted rolled his eyes, following along, but mostly just to get away from us and stand by his family. I didn't care, as long as all of them were safe.

"You hunt ghosts?" Danny asked.

"That's right." Dean nodded.

"Like _Scooby-Doo_?"

"Kind of." I shrugged.

"Only better." Dean smiled.

"You saw her outside, right?" Sam asked, to which Kate nodded. "Okay. Does she look like either one of these girls?"

Kate looked down at the picture of Mrs. Gibson and her daughter, pointing to her. "Her. She was paler and a lot dirtier. But that was her."

"That's the girl in the walls." Danny added.

"It's the daughter?" Sam asked.

"That girl in the picture, she- she's dead?" Susan asked fearfully.

"She killed herself inside this house."

"So, what? The maid got her story wrong?" Dean asked. "Rebecca wasn't cremated?"

"I guess not. Unless her spirit is just attached to something inside the house." I shrugged.

"She hung herself in the attic, right?"

"You guys want to babysit?" Sam asked "I'll check it out."

"Sure." Dean nodded as Sam pulled out his flashlight, making his way up the creaky steps.

"Look, I don't care who hung themselves where." Ted said. "Maybe something is going on here, but-"

"It's a spirit, man."

"No, it's just some backwoods hillbilly bitch, and I'm not about to sit around here waiting for her to go all _Deliverance_ on my ass."

"Well, nobody's leaving the house."

"Oh, yeah? Stop me." Ted threatened, moving out of the circle towards Dean.

"Listen, man. I've got a gun. You don't get your ass back in that circle, you're gonna have yourself a third hole."

"Okay, okay." I interjected, stepping between the two, looking back to Brian and Susan. "I really suggest you stop him."

"Why?" Brian asked. "Why should we believe you?"

"Because we're the only chance you've got."

Brian looked at me for a moment before Susan took her brother's arm, pulling him back into the circle as he grumbled. "Okay."

"Good." I said, looking back to Dean, lowering my voice as we took a small step away from the family. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded, not meeting my eyes. I knew that was a complete lie, but I also knew that now wasn't the time to get into things with him.

"You don't have a gun, do you?"

"No. But I'm not letting that bastard or anyone else die tonight."

"Okay." I nodded, placing a hand on his arm, rubbing it gently before turning back to the family.

"Hey. _Fonzie_ , _Pinky…_ I have a question for you two." Ted called. "This _indestructible force field_ made out of salt...have to be kosher stuff, or what?"

"Knock it off, Ted." Susan spat as a loud bang came from the other room.

"What was that?" Kate asked. Dean and I jumped back inside the circle, staying in front of the family just as the dining room door swung open and an unkempt looking girl walked in, stopping at the front of the salt line.

"Alright, everybody stay calm. She's a ghost. She can't come in the circle." Dean said. The girl held up a knife, easily stepping over the line.

"I thought you said ghosts couldn't cross the circle." Kate muttered.

"They can't." I said. "She's not a ghost."

"Shoot her!" Ted shouted.

"Yeah, about that..." Dean shrugged, glancing over at them with a shrug before looking at me. "Go."

"No, Dean."

"Get them out of here."

"Okay." I nodded, hearing Dean start fighting with the woman as I pushed the family into the other room. "Stay together, okay?"

"Yeah." Susan nodded, keeping her arms around her children. I pulled out my flashlight, making my way back into the kitchen to find Dean and Sam standing there, the girl gone.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Where is everybody?" Dean asked.

"In the living room."

"So, it's just a girl?" Sam asked.

"It's not just a girl. It's psycho _Nell_. I'm telling you, man. Humans."

"So who is she, then?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's the daughter, Rebecca. Maybe she didn't hang herself."

"She'd have to be at least fifty years old by now." I said. "That girl was young."

"Well, I don't know." Dean shrugged, turning to Sam. "What'd you find in the attic?"

"Some old junk. I found Rebecca's diary. That's about it."

"I wish you'd found a howitzer. Listen, we got to get this family safe. I mean, it's just a human, so they can make a run for it. We just got to hold her off."

"Right."

"Told you it was some crazy bitch." Ted said, making his way into the kitchen.

"Hey, what part of _stay together_ do you not understand?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

"There's no threat."

"Head to town." Sam said. "We'll take it from here, okay?"

"Danny's gone!" Susan cried from the doorway, looking at us with wide eyes.

"What?" I asked, looking over at her.

"He's gone!"

"Where did he go?"

"I don't know. He was there one second and then..." Susan said, starting to hyperventilate.

"Suse, suse, calm down." Brian said, placing his hands on her shoulders. "We will find Danny. I promise. Take Kate and go. Now, while you still have a chance."

"Not without Danny."

"I am not going out there with Mom alone." Kate said.

"She's right." Dean nodded. "Until we find your son, the safest place for you right now is in the shed."

"I am not going in there either."

"Yes, you are. It's the best defense. The windows are boarded up. It's got one door. It's our best shot right now. Trust me."

"Suse. Kate. Go." Brian said.

"Alright, you and me will take the outside." Sam said, nodding to Brian, turning to Ted. "You and Dean take the house. Tori can go with Susan and Kate."

"Hell no." I said, shaking my head.

"Why not?"

"I am not leaving Dean alone with him."

"Hey." Ted called, narrowing his eyes at me.

"Why?" Sam asked.

"Because." I started, leaning in, lowering my voice. "One of them will end up dead. And it won't be Dean. If you get what I'm saying."

"Oh." Sam nodded, looking back to the family. "Okay, a slight change to the plan. Tori will go with Dean and Ted."

"Need your girlfriend to hold your hand, huh?" Ted asked.

"Bite me." Dean snapped.

"Do you want to find your nephew or not?" I asked, shutting Ted up immediately.

"Okay." Susan muttered, moving to head outside with her daughter.

"Wait." I called, grabbing a large knife from the kitchen, handing it to Susan. "Just in case."

Susan glanced down at me, swallowing hard as she took the knife, letting out a breath before the both of them head outside to the shed with Sam and Brian close behind. Thankfully, Ted, Dean and I made it through a portion of house without any fights being started.

"What are you doing?" Ted asked while Dean and I skimmed the walls in a dusty office.

"She's human. She had to come from somewhere." Dean said, finding a loose panel in the wall. I pushed my fingers underneath part of it, the both of us lifting it up.

Ted covered his nose at the rotting stench. "You smell that?"

"Every day." Dean sighed, taking out his flashlight, heading in first. I followed after him, hearing Ted bring up the rear as we made our way through the wall until we got to a small crawl space where there was a hole in the floor. I pulled out my flashlight, shining it through the narrow space.

"You're not going down there." Ted muttered, looking over at me.

"No, _I_ am." Dean said.

"Dean, you're not gonna fit."

"You know, I've heard that a lot. But I always do." Dean said, shooting me a wink.

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure you don't have any lube this time." I said, seeing Ted shoot us a slightly disgusted look from the corner of my eye. "We don't need you getting stuck."

"You think I'm gonna get stuck in the hole?"

"Move it, _big boy_." I grinned, gently pushing him to the side, pulling in a deep breath before I started down.

After what felt like forever, my feet finally hit somewhat solid ground, I turned shining the light around the rather cramped room. I jumped back seeing a rat corpse hanging inches from my face. I made my way through, covering my nose from the smell.

"Find anything?" I heard Dean call.

"Uh." I started my eyes winded when I saw the torn up body of Buster. "Oh, no."

"What?"

"Buster."

"Buster?" Ted asked. "Is he…?"

"Yeah."

"Well, are you sure?"

I looked away from the mangled body, letting out a breath. "He's- just trust me."

"What else?" Dean asked.

"Just a bunch of dead things. Rats and birds." I explained looking around to see a couple stick figure drawings on the wall, clearly written in blood.

"Alright, stay here." I heard Dean say, his footsteps moving over me as he inspected the rest of the crawl space.

Suddenly, there was some commotion above me and I rushed back to see Dean shining the light in the girl's face, causing her to flee. I crawled out, making my way over to Ted, who laid on the ground in a puddle of blood that was growing larger, seeping from the wound in his stomach.

"Goddammit!" Dean exclaimed, punching the wall.

"Hey, whoa, Dean, relax. There was nothing you could've done." I said, standing to my feet, moving over to him.

"I shouldn't have left him alone."

"And if you were here, she might've done the same thing to you." I said, watching Dean shake his head. "Come on, let's go."

"Yeah." Dean nodded, letting out a sigh, picking up Ted before we headed out of the walls.

* * *

Funny how I was more paranoid now that I knew this was a flesh and blood human than I would have been if it were a ghost. I felt as though I was constantly looking over my shoulder as we made our way across the yard to the shed.

Once there, I knocked on the door. "Sam, it's us."

"Help me out." Sam called from behind the door, he and Brian moving whatever barricade they'd put up to let us in.

"Did you get Danny?" Susan asked hopefully as soon as we step foot inside.

"No." I replied.

"No? Well, where's Ted?"

"He's outside." Dean said, his voice low.

"Well, why doesn't he come inside?"

"Because I had to carry him out. I'm sorry."

"You're- what does that mean? What does that mean, _you're sorry_?"

"Are you saying that he's dead?" Brian asked.

"No. No, he's not saying that he's dead." Susan muttered. "You're not saying that, are you?"

"We were in the walls and she attacked." Dean explained. "I couldn't get to him in time."

"She came out of nowhere. Neither one of us would've been able to do anything." I added, more for Dean's benefit than anything.

"Uncle Ted is dead?" Kate asked sadly.

"I shouldn't have left him alone. I- I'm very sorry." Dean said, heading back outside. I followed after him, staying a few feet back as he stood there, pulling in a deep breath.

"Dean?" I called cautiously.

"What?"

"There was nothing you could've done, Dean-"

"Yeah, there was!" Dean exclaimed, turning around. "If I didn't leave him alone, he'd be alive now."

"You didn't know."

"Well, I should've. I should've known better."

"Why won't you look at me?" I asked suddenly.

"What?" Dean asked, looking up, keeping his eyes off of mine. "What the hell does that have to do with me getting a man killed?"

"Everything, I think."

"That doesn't even make sense."

"I know what happened down there is still with you, Dean. I know it bothers you every single day. And that's why you won't sleep."

"Tori-"

"I've been with you every day and night for over a decade. You think I'm not gonna know when you wake up from a nightmare? Because I do. And you won't look at me, won't let me look you in the eyes, because you're afraid that if I do, I'll know. But I already know."

"I really don't think you do." Dean muttered, looking down. "Not everything."

"You're right, I don't know _every_ little thing. But I saw _all_ of it. And I get that you're trying to make up for it, but people die, Dean-"

"Well, they shouldn't on my watch." Dean snapped, shaking his head. "I just- I can't believe how okay you are with what I've done."

"You didn't get Ted killed."

"Yeah, well, that's not what I'm talking about."

"I know." I nodded. "Dean, do you want me to tell you that I hate you or something? Because I don't."

"How?"

"How, what? How can I not hate you?" I asked incredulously.

"Yeah."

"I just- I can't. I don't think I ever could."

Dean shook his head, letting out a huff. "Come on. We gotta find Danny."

"Dean, no." I said, taking his arm as he started to walk past me.

"Come on." Dean repeated, his voice a little more forceful this time. "We're not talking about this now."

"Okay, just calm down, alright? But we're talking about this later."

"Yeah, okay." Dean nodded.

"Alright."

Afterwords Dean and I approached the shed, hearing Brian and Susan speak in hushed tones to each other. We stayed back a bit, listening to their conversation about Danny.

"We'll find him, Suse. We will." Brian muttered comfortingly.

"Where is there to look?" Susan asked. "Danny's dead, isn't he?"

"No, Suse."

"He is. Why not? She killed my brother. Now she killed my son."

"No. Danny is alive. Do you remember what he said about the girl who lived in the walls? She said he could stay."

"No. No. I just don't understand why this happens to us. I mean, we're good people. We're a good family."

"What happened to Andy happened, okay? I cannot change that. But I will find Danny, I promise you. And when I do, we are gonna be fine. You and me, the kids, we're gonna be fine."

"Okay." Susan nodded.

Brian kissed her forehead before making his way out of the shed, looking around for us. "Oh, there you are."

"Andy your son?" Dean asked.

"Oldest." Brian muttered. "He got himself killed in a car accident last year."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too." I murmured.

"It nearly tore Suse and I apart. Still could, I imagine. That's why we moved here. Fresh air, fresh start. Not even my line. Marriage counselor. 'Course, she might be right. After all, what could possibly go wrong in the country?" Brian shrugged.

"I'm getting your son back." Dean said fiercely. "If it's the last godforsaken thing I do."

"Why do you care so much?"

Before Dean could answer, Sam walked over, holding up a dusty, old looking book. "Guys, we gotta talk."

"Okay." I nodded, looking over to Brian. "You guys stay in the shed, we'll be back in a minute."

"Alright." Brian said, making his way back to his wife and daughter in the small shed.

"What is that?" Dean asked as we made our way inside the house and into the dining room.

"Rebecca's diary. I just finished reading it." Sam said, placing the book on the table.

"And?"

"That girl back there? Pretty sure she was Rebecca's daughter."

"Rebecca had a kid?"

"It's all she talks about. Being pregnant, being ashamed of being pregnant."

"Jeez, rent _Juno_ and get over it." Dean commented. "Wait, why kill herself after the baby?"

"Maybe because her dad called her a dirty little whore and said he was gonna lock the baby up."

"Why would he say that?"

Sam stayed silent, shooting the both of us hard looks, immediately telling me what was going on here. I cringed at the thought. "Ew."

"Gross." Dean mumbled.

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"So the daddy was the babydaddy too?"

"Jesus, Dean, don't make it weirder than it already is." I sighed, shaking my head.

"The dude was a monster." Sam said.

"Wow, a story ripped from an Austrian headline." Dean muttered. "Humans, man. So she's been locked up her whole life?"

"You saw her eyes. Has she ever seen light? She's barely human."

"Okay, so, what, then, she's been caged up like an animal and she busts out and ganks dear old Dad? _Slash Granddad_..."

"I guess."

"Can't say that I blame her." I commented.

"I'm sure her life was hell. It doesn't mean she gets a free pass for murder."

"Like you know what hell's like." Dean said, his eyes suddenly turning dark.

"I didn't-"

"Forget it."

Sam glanced over at me, silently asking me while Dean was so touchy all of a sudden. I just shook my head, looking down to the ground while Sam tried to get back on track. "So where do we find her?"

"Well, he kept her hidden, locked up, but he had to feed her, didn't he?"

"Yeah."

"I think I know where."

* * *

Not too much time had passed and we were now in the kitchen after getting Brian, breaking our way through the wall to reveal a dumbwaiter shaft. I shined my light inside, breaking a few pieces of plaster that attempted to cover the door.

"He could've kept her hidden here for years. Nobody would ever know."

"Danny!" Brian called.

"Watch out, I'm going down." Dean said, gently moving me aside.

"What?" I asked.

"No, that's my son." Brian said.

"I know it is, but I said that I would get him. I will. Let me."

"Okay."

"How are you gonna get down?" I asked.

"Like this." Dean said, positioning the light in my hand down the shaft before scooting through the opening, starting to climb down the side. "Keep the light so I can see where I'm going."

"Dean, you can't-"

"Too late."

"Jesus, please be careful." I muttered, keeping the light trained down the shaft so he could see.

"Always am."

"Hey, you got curtains?" Sam asked Brian. "We need rope."

"Sure." Brian said, making his way into the other room.

Before I knew it, Dean was out of sight, disappearing into the darkness as I heard his feet hit the floor. "You okay?"

"Yup." Dean called, the sound of his footsteps moving away from me.

It seemed like an eternity had passed before I heard some noise from the basement, peering back down the shaft to see Danny standing there, looking up at me with squinted eyes.

"Danny!" I quickly grabbed some of the sheets and curtains we'd tied together, throwing them down the shaft. As Danny tied the makeshift rope around himself, I heard a bunch of commotion coming from the basement. "Hurry!"

"Okay!" Danny called. Brian, Sam and I got a good grip on the rope, pulling Danny up as he started to climb up the shaft.

"Come on, buddy. Come on, buddy." Brian said, tears forming in his eyes when he saw his son appear at the opening of the dumbwaiter. He quickly grabbed him, pulling him into his arms. "You okay? It's okay."

"He's down there with the boy." Danny said, glancing over at Sam and I.

"What?" I asked, my eyes widening. "What boy?"

"The girl, she has a brother."

Without thinking, I moved through the opening, placing my feet on a ledge in the wall.

"Get him out of here." Sam told Brian, pushing them out before pointing his flashlight down the shaft. "Careful."

I nodded trying to be cautious as I made my way down the shaft until I felt my feet hit the floor. I quickly pulled out my flashlight.

Other than the commotion sounding through the basement, just as I rounded a corner of a brick wall, I saw Dean shining a flashlight into a boy's eyes before picking up a gun, shooting him, sending him falling backwards onto the ground with a thud.

"Dean?" I called, moving over to his side, seeing some blood on the front of his jacket. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Dean nodded, standing to his feet with my help. I pushed his jacket back, seeing a stab wound in his shoulder.

* * *

Once we made our way out of the basement, we headed back outside, finding the family reunited and the girl lying dead on the ground next to a bloody knife. I wasn't sure who did it, but I didn't care right now. Their family was together again, that's what mattered.

The sun started to rise in the sky again and Dean got to work on replacing the Impala's tires while I helped Sam repack and organize the trunk.

"We gotta call the cops." Brian muttered.

"Oh, yeah. Definitely." Sam nodded. "Just wait until we leave, okay?"

"...sure."

"Thanks for the head start." Dean said, taking the jack out from underneath the Impala.

"Why doesn't it surprise me you guys don't like the police?"

"It's sort of a mutual-appreciation thing, really." Sam shrugged.

"Well, thank you."

"You okay?" I asked as Susan walked over.

"No, we're the opposite of okay, but we're together." She said, taking Brian's hand. I smiled at them, looking over to the porch steps to see Kate and Danny sitting next to each other.

Times like these remind me why we do what we do in the first place. They come less and less these days, but it still feels good.

* * *

 **OVERPASS – DAY**

After driving for a little while we stopped for some food before heading to an overpass, getting out of the car. Sam came around to the hood where Dean and I were standing, handing us a couple burgers. Dean had been unusually quiet this whole drive, but I didn't want to push him into talking anymore. As much as I wanted him to, me pushing wouldn't help anything.

Dean stared down at the burger in his hands, looking up with a sigh. Sam shot me a worried look before glancing back to his brother. "You okay?"

"You know, I felt for those sons of bitches back there. Lifelong torture turns you into something like that." Dean said, glancing over at me before looking ahead again.

"You were in hell, Dean. Look, maybe you did what you did there, but you're not them. They were barely human."

"Yeah, you're right. I wasn't like them. I was worse. They were animals, Sam, defending territory. Me? I did it for the sheer pleasure."

"What?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

"Remember how I said you didn't know it all, Tor? I don't know what else needs to happen for you to hate me because of what I did."

"Dean-"

"I enjoyed it, Tori." Dean said, turning to me, finally meeting my eyes. "They took me off the rack, and I tortured souls, and I liked it. All those years, all that pain. Finally getting to deal some out yourself. I didn't care who they put in front of me. Because that pain I felt, it just slipped away. No matter how many people I save, I can't change that. I can't fill this hole. Not ever."

The look in his eyes sent a chill down my spine. There was nothing but anger and sadness floating around in his green eyes, that look sending me back to those nightmare filled nights where I'd watch his tortured green eyes turn black.

And right now, as he spoke, it was almost as if I was in one of those nightmares...just waiting for his eyes to turn.

* * *

 **Sorry for the gap in between posting! I visited a friend and was staying with her for a while, so I took a small break. Don't hate me ;D  
**

 **As always, thanks for reading! I hope you liked it!**


	14. Criss Angel Is a Douchebag

_Once it starts, it never stops  
Discipline, it's all I'm not  
Can't help myself  
You listening?  
Why can't I say just what I want?  
_… _.._

 _Chew me up, hold me down_  
 _Just let me go, there's always more_  
 _I want it all, excluding you_  
 _Losing control, so construed_

 _…..._

 _I can't wait to see your face_  
 _When I make it without you_  
 _Nothing seems to go your way_  
 _You'll never amount to_  
 _Get away, get away, get away from me_  
 _Get away_  
 _(You'll never amount to)_  
 _Get away, get away, get away from me_  
 _Get away_

 _Steady damage, crossed the line_  
 _What's become, clearly to find_  
 _Steady damage, crossed the line_  
 _What's become, clearly to find_  
 _Steady damage, crossed the line_  
 _All that is done is left behind_  
 _Steady damage, crossed the line_  
 _You had it all, now I got mind_

 _ **Fit For Rivals – Damage**_

* * *

After Dean had told us what he did the other day, he seemed to always be watching me closely, especially when he thought I wasn't looking. I wasn't quite sure what he was waiting for, if he wanted me to scream at him. To yell at him. To just...be angry.

But I couldn't. I couldn't make myself do it, because after everything that happened to us over the past few years, I've changed. I've felt it inside of myself.

Maybe I was crazy, but I couldn't find it inside of myself to be upset with him.

How could I blame him for taking his anger out after getting tortured for years and years? Hell, I found myself wanting to let my anger out in any way I could while he was gone, and I hadn't been through half of what he had.

It wouldn't matter if I told him that or not, he would just think I was making another excuse. So I didn't say anything, as much as I wanted to. Right now there was no way for me to convince him that I truly didn't fault him for what he did.

So instead, the three of us just let things go back to _normal_ avoiding the elephant in the room for as long as we could.

We approached a small crowd on a sidewalk in the small town. The man standing in the middle of all the people was very animated as he spoke, using his hands as he talked dramatically, widened his eye-liner covered eyes on nearly every other word for what I assumed was supposed to be _emphasis_.

"This- this isn't a trick, okay? I- I- I don't do tricks. This is a demonstration and demons and angels, love and lust." He muttered to a cameraman standing in the audience. "All that stuff mixed up in my head."

"What a douchebag." Dean commented.

"That's Jeb Dexter." Sam muttered.

I glanced up at him, an eyebrow raised as he stared over at the guy. "What?"

Dean shook his head. "I don't even want to know how you know that."

"He's famous, kind of." Sam shrugged.

" _Him_?" I asked, pointing to Jeb.

"Yeah."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"But whatever happens, no matter how messed up it gets, don't touch me, okay?" Jeb said, holding a hand out to the crowd, speaking dramatically. "For your own safety."

"For what?" Dean asked. " _Douchebaggery_?"

Just then Jeb started shaking as though he was seizing right there on the sidewalk, flinging the cards in his hand in the direction of a window behind him. I cringed as I watched him, not quite sure why all the people standing around were so enthralled.

"Go back to hell, demon!" Jeb shouted.

I rolled my eyes, letting out a heavy sigh as everyone gasped. "Oh, lord."

Jeb dragged a hand over the one card, an ace of diamonds, that stayed stuck to the window while the others fell, showing that it was on the inside of the glass. "Is this your card?"

"You've got to be kidding me." Dean huffed as everyone started clapping. "A fake demon possession? I can't believe people actually fall for that shit."

"It's not all shit." Sam said as we turned away, walking back down the street.

"What part of that was not a steaming pile of BS?"

"Okay, _that_ was crap, but that's not all magicians. It takes skill."

"Oh, right, I forgot. You were actually into this stuff, weren't you?"

"Oh, yeah." I smiled at the memory. "You had a deck of cards and a wand."

"I was thirteen. It was a phase."

"A _cute_ phase."

"Oh my god." Sam mumbled, his ears turning red.

"Aw-"

"Shut up."

"Right." I laughed. "It's just annoying, you know? Playing at demons and magic when the real thing could kill you...horribly."

"Exactly." Dean nodded.

"Like a guy who drops dead of ten stab wounds without a single tear in his shirt?" Sam asked.

"Pretty much." I shrugged as we approached the hotel where Patrick Vance had been staying before his _accident._

The three of us made our way inside, getting into the elevator before heading to Vance's hotel room. I knocked on the door, waiting a few moments before a pretty brunette opened the door.

"Yes?"

"Hi, I'm detective McGowan, this is detective Ulrich and detective Cox. We have a few questions about the death of Patrick Vance, if you don't mind."

"Oh, uh, no. Come in." She said, stepping to the side to allow us into the room.

"Did your boss have any enemies that you know of?" Dean asked.

"Vance had plenty of enemies."

"How so?" Sam asked.

"He would steal from other magicians." She explained as she pulled out a line of colorful handkerchiefs connected together from a bag. "All the time."

"What would he steal?"

"Stage effects, closeup techniques, anything he could get his hands on."

"Is that enough to get him killed?" Dean asked.

"These guys take this stuff pretty seriously." She said, moving a cloth to reveal a white rabbit. She shook her head, bending down to pick up the bunny. "There you are."

"Did you ever find anything weird in Vance's stuff?" I asked.

" _Weirder_." Dean mumbled, staring over at the rabbit in her arms.

"As a matter of fact, I did." She nodded, putting the bunny in a cage before pulling out a tarot card. I recognized it as the Ten of Swords, the image on the front of ten swards sticking out of a man's back.

"I'm guessing that wasn't one of Vance's?" I asked, taking the card from her to inspect it.

"He hated card tricks. Never wanted them around. Let alone in his precious cape."

There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary with the tarot, it just looked like a regular, old card.

* * *

 **THEATER – DAY**

While Sam went off to check some other things out, Dean and I made our way over to the theater where Patrick Vance died, finding Jeb sitting at a table with an older man, the cameraman still following him around.

"Alright, boys, get it in gear, I don't got all day." Jeb mumbled.

I could practically heard Dean's eyes roll in his head as he approached the table adjacent table, crouching down behind one of the two men sitting there. "You Vernon Haskell?"

"Who's asking?" Vernon asked.

"Federal agents. Ulrich and McGowan." Dean said, nodding back to me as we showed him our badges. "Looking into the death of Patrick Vance."

"I'm Jeb Dexter. This is _Devil Twist_." Jen announced dramatically, staring into the camera with wide eyes. "We're chilling at the International Magicians' Convention, which is a dope chance to tip my hat to the wicked cats who came before me. Smoking hot effect last night, Jim."

"Jay." The gray-haired man sitting next to him corrected.

"Huh?"

"My name is Jay."

"Yeah, whatever. We can loop it later."

"What a douchebag." Vernon muttered.

"Couldn't agree more." Dean nodded.

"Is this familiar to you?" I asked, showing him the tarot card.

"Should it be?" Vernon asked, glancing up at me.

"Well, we heard that you used tarot cards in your act."

"My act?" Vernon laughed. "That was a long time ago. I haven't touched a deck in years."

"Do you know someone that might use them now?" Dean asked.

"Well, there was a guy down on Bleeker Street."

"Oh, yeah." The man sitting next to him, whose name was Charlie, nodded. "He peddles that kind of specialty stuff."

Dean nodded. "Did he have a problem with Vance?"

"As a matter of fact, Vance crossed him about a year ago." Vance told us. "Probably cost him fifty grand in royalties."

"You know the exact address?"

"Four-twenty-six Bleeker."

"Ask for Chief." Charlie added.

"Huh. Thank you."

* * *

 **BLEEKER STREET – NIGHT**

While we finally had some time alone, I wanted to talk to him, but I bit my tongue, instead keeping the conversation light, talking about Sam's magic obsession as we made our way down the long, dark sidewalk until we found a neon sign hanging from a building that read _four-twenty-six._

"I guess this is it." I said as Dean leaned forward, knocking on the barred door. A chain-link door behind the barred one opened, revealing a jittery looking man.

"We're here to see Chief." Dean told him.

The man raised his eyebrows, opening the barred door, letting us inside. "Let me guess? You guys like to share?"

"What?" I asked, not getting a reply.

The guy stayed rather quiet while he led us down into a dimly lit basement where the sound of music playing loudly vibrated the walls that were covered in graffiti. I glanced over at Dean, the both of us sharing a look, wondering what the hell we just got ourselves into.

"Stay here. Don't touch anything." The man said, scurrying away.

A few moments passed before another door opened and a large man wearing nothing but leather walked down the steps, carrying a flogger, slapping it into the palm of his hand a couple times. "Well, well, well..."

"Oh." I murmured, blinking a few times, realizing what was going on here.

"Don't get ladies down here too often."

"I wonder why."

"You staying or are you just dropping him off?" Chief asked.

I glanced up at Dean, a smirk on my face as I watched him swallow hard. "Well, I might have to stay and watch."

"Tori." Dean called through clenched teeth, glancing over at me with wide eyes. I tried to hide my smile as the Chief grinned at Dean.

"Oh, you are really gonna get it tonight, pretty boy."

"There's been a misunderstanding." Dean muttered, glancing over at me."Right?"

I shrugged. "Well-"

" _Right_?" Dean repeated a bit more forcefully.

"I'd say so." I nodded with a sigh. "We've been had."

"Oh, you ain't been had 'til you been _had_ by the Chief." He smiled.

"Oh...wow." I chuckled lightly as Dean frowned.

"Let's get to it." The Chief said, talking a step towards Dean. "Strip down."

"What?" Dean asked, his eyes widening as he took a step backwards. "Aren't we- I mean- I don't think-"

"Oh, you're right. Before we get started, what's your safeword?"

"Well, it's usually _mercy_." I muttered with a grin.

"Tori!" Dean hissed.

"Mercy?" Chief asked. "I like that."

"But right now I think it'd be something more along the lines of _J_ esus _, please, no._ " I added.

"What?"

"Listen, this really was a misunderstanding. We had no idea that _this_ is what's going on down here."

"Really?"

"Definitely." I nodded, hearing Dean let out a sigh of relief behind me.

"Well, you're still welcomed to stay." The Chief said, eying Dean again.

"Listen. The only one who gets to order him around, especially in the bedroom, is me." I said, raising an eyebrow at the Chief. "Alright?"

"...uh, yeah."

I glanced back at Dean, heading over to the stairs. "Come on."

"Okay." Dean mumbled fast, rushing up behind me as we left.

* * *

 **THEATER – NIGHT**

After leaving Chief's Dungeon, we headed back over to the theater where Sam was waiting, turning around to face us as we approached.

"Find anything interesting?" Dean asked.

"No, you?"

"Nothing I want to talk about, or think about, ever again."

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"Honestly, nothing. I just saved Dean's ass. Quite literally." I muttered, laughing light as Dean glared at me.

"Huh?"

"Don't worry about it." I said as we entered the theater. Vernon and Charlie were standing a few feet away from the entrance, speaking to one another.

"He's crazy, and you know it." Vernon said.

"He says he can do it." Charlie shrugged.

"Did you even try to talk him out of it?"

"'Til I was blue in the face. But I tell you, Vernon, there was- here was something in his eyes."

" _In his eyes_? You're both nuts." Vernon huffed, shaking his head as Dean and I approached with Sam behind us.

"The Chief, huh?" Dean asked.

"What's the matter?" Charlie asked, a grin on his face. "Chief not your type?"

"He likes 'em with a little less of the same equipment he has." I said, causing Sam to look over at me with wide eyes. "... _sometimes_."

"Dude." Dean huffed at me as I chuckled before turning back to the men. "You know, I could have you both arrested for obstruction of justice."

"How?" Vernon asked. "You're no Fed."

"What?"

"We con people for a living." Charlie said. "Takes more than a couple fake badges to get past us."

"Well, you got us. We- well, we're actually aspiring magicians." I said. Dean let out a low groan beside me, shutting his eyes for a moment.

"Yeah, we came to the convention 'cause we thought we could learn something." Sam added.

"Get some ideas for our new show." Dean said.

"Oh, what kind of show?" Vernon asked.

"Well, it's- it's a-"

"It's a family act." Sam said.

"Yeah, you know, with the rings and doves and...rings."

"You want to learn something?" Charlie asked. "Stick around."

"Ladies and gentlemen, what you're about to witness is a feat so daring, so dangerous, even the great Houdini dared not attempt it." A booming voice came over the speaker of the theater as the lights dimmed. "I give to you...the executioner!"

Jay, the man from before that Jeb was attempting to interview came into view on the stage. He spoke for a few moments before calling an audience member up onto the stage to look at a straight jacket. The man took it from him, holding it for a little bit before Jay too it away from him.

"Now, sir, as you can see, this jacket is the real article. Thank you, sir. You may take your seat." Jay said as the man made his way back to his seat. "Now, I will have one minute, sixty seconds, to escape certain death. Let's see if I can do it."

An assistant came out onto the stage to help Jay put on the straight jacket, tightening it before they went around behind a curtain. Suddenly, the curtain fell, showing Jay's silhouette struggling to get out of the straight jacket while he stood on a platform, a noose hanging around his neck.

"I don't think he's gonna make it." Dean mumbled next to me, staring up at the stage, his eyes glued.

"Dean, they can't let a man kill himself for a magic trick in front of a bunch of people.

A few moments later, Jay was still struggling before he threw the straight jacket on the ground, pushing the curtain aside as the platform he was standing on gave way.

"Oh! That was amazing!" Dean exclaimed. "That was freaking amazing!"

I stared over at Jay with my mouth hanging open slightly, glancing up at Sam to see the same suspicious look in his eyes. "That was...not humanly possible."

* * *

 **HOTEL ROOM – NIGHT**

Once we'd gotten back from the theater, Sam immediately went to his laptop to look up some stuff on his Jay guy. I sat on the bed, taking a sip of my beer as Dean leaned against the wall.

"I thought you didn't like magic?" I asked.

"I don't."

"You seemed to like it tonight."

"Well, that was- that was because- he- what he did-"

"Uh-huh?"

"Looks like this guy Jay was a pretty big deal in the seventies." Sam interjected.

"Which in the _magician realm_ means what, exactly?" I asked.

"Big enough to play radio city music hall."

"What got him stuck in their _where are they now_ file?" Dean asked.

"He got old."

"So maybe _incredible Jay_ is using real magic to stage a comeback."

"It's possible." Sam shrugged. "Some kind of spell that works a death transference."

"What does the tarot card have to do with anything then?" I asked.

"I don't know."

"Man, I hope I die before I get old." Dean muttered suddenly.

"What?" I furrowed my brow, glancing up at him.

"The whole thing seems brutal, doesn't it?"

"You think we will?" Sam asked. "Die before we get old?"

"Haven't we already?"

"...I haven't." I mumbled, gaining a glare from both boys. If looks could kill, I'd be so dead right now. "Sorry."

"I mean, do you think we'll still be chasing demons when we're sixty?" Sam asked.

"No, I think we'll be dead...for good. You, too." Dean said, glancing over at me with a small grin.

"That's rude." I chuckled.

"Really?" Sam asked. "You two are joking about dying now?"

"What?" Dean shrugged. "You want to end up like Travis? Or Gordon, maybe?"

"There's Bobby." I pointed out.

"Oh, yeah, there's a poster child for growing old gracefully."

"Maybe we'll be different, Dean." Sam muttered.

"What kind of Kool-Aid you drinking, man? Sammy, it ends bloody or sad. That's just the life."

"I have to agree with Dean." I said, a feeling of depression filling my chest at what I was about to say. "Hunter's don't lead very happy lives the older they get. If I'm sixty and still a hunter...I'd rather be dead."

"What?" Sam asked, glancing over at me. I just shrugged in response, not having anything else to say. As horrible as it might be, it was true. If I couldn't get out of this life, I wasn't really sure I wanted to be doing it forever. "What if we could win?"

" _Win_?" Dean asked incredulously.

"If there was a way we could just put an end to all of it?"

"Is there something going on you're not telling us?"

"No."

"Sammy."

" _No_. Look, I'm just saying...I just wish there was a way we could go after the source. That's all. Cut the head off the snake."

"Well, the problem with the snake is that it has a thousand heads. Evil bitches just keep piling out of the Volkswagen."

"Yeah." Sam nodded, looking down dejectedly. "Guess you're right."

"Hey, why don't you two go track down Jay and I'll see what I can dig up on this tarot card?" I suggested.

"Yeah." Dean agreed, standing to his feet, slapping Sam on the shoulder. "Come on, Sammy."

* * *

Not too long after the boys left, I heard come commotion around the front of the hotel, looking out of the window to see a few cop cars pulling up along with an ambulance. I quickly grabbed my badge, heading out of the room and down to the lobby where the cops and EMT's were piling in, one female cop speaking to a maid who was sobbing.

I made my way over to them, flashing my badge. "Detective McGowan. What's going on here?"

"I found- there was a man, I found him in his room, hanging from the fan." The maid mumbled through her tears.

As one of the other cops passed by, I introduced myself, showing him the badge. He led me with him up to the room where a few other homicide detective's were inspecting the body of Jeb Dexter that was hanging by the neck from a noose tied around the ceiling fan. I headed into the room, putting on the gloves that one of the men gave me, looking over the body, not at all surprised at what I found there.

Afterwords, I went back down to the lobby after calling the boys, finding them standing there waiting for me.

"Hey." Sam called.

"What happened?" Dean asked.

"Jeb Dexter is dead. A maid found him hanging from the ceiling fan. The police think it's a suicide."

"And what do you think?"

"There's no way it was a suicide." I said, showing them the tarot card I found in the pocket of his leather vest.

"You found this on Dexter's body?"

"Yup."

"How'd you get it then?" Sam asked.

"Pulled a little sleight of hand." I shrugged. "So I'm thinking if this spell is a death transference, then these cards would work like black-magic targets."

"Any connection between the victims?"

"Well, Jeb was a total douche to Jay yesterday." I said, glancing over at Dean. "Remember?"

"Yeah. And apparently, Vance was heckling Jay at the bar the day he was killed." Dean added.

"Okay." Sam nodded. "So Jay sneaks a card into Vance's pocket, does the table of death-"

"And Vance takes ten swords to the chest."

"Then Jay slips a noose...and Jeb doesn't." I said.

"Hell of a trick." Sam muttered.

"Well, I think it's time we had a little chat with Jay. Any luck finding him?"

"Uh, he slipped us."

"He's a sixty year old man."

"He's a magician."

"You're joking right?"

"Wish we were." Dean mumbled.

"Well, every magician attending the convention was staying in this hotel. He's gotta be here somewhere. And if he's not, then we'll wait for him."

"Oh. That's a good idea."

"I know." I smiled, turning to the front desk.

* * *

After getting Jay's room number, the three of us waited around the corner of the wall adjacent to his room. It didn't take too long for him to wander down the hallway, opening his door. As soon as he stepped inside, we rushed over, cornering him in his room.

"Up against the wall!" Dean shouted, startling Jay.

"God, who are you? What do you want?" He asked, holding his hands up as he backed up to a wall.

"We know what you've been up to." Sam said.

"You've been working some real bad mojo to jump-start your act."

"What?" Jay asked. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Listen, we know that you put a spell on those tarot cards." I said. "That you're messing around with real magic."

" _Real magic?_ Come on, there's no such thing as real magic."

"Oh, is that so?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, believe me. I've been around this stuff my whole life. It's all just- it's illusions. It's tricks. It's all fake."

"Jeb Dexter strung up, was that just an illusion?"

"What? Something happened to Jeb?"

"He was found hanged in his room." Sam explained. "Right after you slipped the noose last night."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Please..just let me go." Jay muttered.

"We can't do that, Jay. We can't let anybody else get hurt here." I said, going to get a chair. Sam and Dean pushed him down into it as I got some rope, tying him securely. "Stay here."

I moved over by the boys, folding my arms as we faced away from the man. Dean sighed. "Something's not right here."

"I was just thinking the same thing." I muttered.

"Usually they're whipping some badass hoodoo at us by now." Sam added.

"What do you want to do?" Dean asked.

"Alright, so, if it's not him, who is it?"

"Even if Jay's not working the magic, he's still getting the reward. His shows are selling out."

"So whoever it is, they're in Jay's corner." I said.

"Alright, so we got Vernon and Charlie on the list. Anyone else?" Dean asked.

"We could always ask him." Sam shrugged. The three of us turned, finding the chair empty and Jay gone.

"Guess we should have seen that one coming."

I let out an annoyed breath. "Fucking magicians."

"Come on. He couldn't have gotten that far." Sam said. We headed out of the hotel room, into the hallway and down to the lobby, looking around for any signs of Jay on the way. "No way he could outrun us."

"Maybe he vanished." Dean suggested. "I mean, he really is good."

"He's not _that_ good. He probably found a back door or something."

"That's them!" Jay suddenly shouted from behind us, a few cops standing behind him. "Those are the three nut jobs that just broke into my room!"

* * *

 **POLICE STATION – NIGHT**

One of the cops grabbed my arm, forcefully pulling me out of the backseat of the cop car. I glanced over seeing Sam and Dean being walked by two other cops. They dragged us into the station, placing us into separate holding cells that were facing each other.

"This is great." I mumbled sarcastically. "You know, I was wondering when we were gonna get locked up again. Remind me why we try to help these people again?"

"Because it's the right thing to do." Sam sighed.

"I'm getting closer and closer to saying _fuck that_ every day."

Just then one of the cops came over, opening the cells, taking our handcuffs off. "Well, it's your lucky night. Charges were dropped."

The three of us exchanged a surprised glance before following the cop back out to the main room where Jay was standing, a worried look on his face.

"Just to make sure, these _aren't_ the three that broke into your room?" Another cop asked Jay.

"Yeah."

"You're sure?"

"Very sure."

"Okay." The cop nodded, glancing back to us. "You're free to go."

We made our way outside with Jay, waiting until the doors were shut behind us before we started speaking about anything. Jay still looked nervous, his head whipping around as he walked over to his car.

"Thanks for dropping the charges." Sam said.

"You mind telling us why you did it?" Dean asked.

"We need to talk." Jay said simply, getting into his car. I glanced up at Sam and Dean, shrugged as we got into his car.

* * *

 **BAR – NIGHT**

"I was just a kid when we first met. All I knew was how to cheat at cards." Jay told us. "Charlie got me out of more scrapes than I can count. Hell, I would have been dead by the age of twenty if it hadn't been for him. He was more than my friend. He was my brother."

"I'm sorry, Jay." Sam muttered.

"Look, I should have listened to you guys when you told me that my show was killing people."

"Well, you weren't the one pulling the trigger." Dean said.

"Yeah, but someone did, and I want to find out who did this to Charlie, so I'll do whatever you guys say. Just tell me what to do."

"Whoever's doing this, they like you. They're probably close to you." I said. "Did Charlie and Vernon always get along?"

"No, it's not Vernon."

"He's the only one that makes sense." Dean said.

"Charlie and Vernon were your family, Jay." Sam said.

"And now Charlie's gone."

"Yeah, they butted heads sometimes, but Vernon could never do something like this." Jay insisted.

"See the thing about real magic is it's a whole lot like crack." Dean explained. "People do surprising things once they get a taste of it."

"You better be damn sure about this. Vernon's all I got left."

* * *

 **VERNON'S HOTEL ROOM – NIGHT**

We waited until Vernon left to pick the lock, getting into his room, which was filled with various magician-style items. The place was packed with them, but they somehow all looked neat and in place.

"Wow. It's like a...magic museum." Sam muttered in slight awe.

"You must be in heaven." Dean commented. "This guy doesn't travel light."

"He's been on the road his whole life. Probably everything he owns is in this room."

"Let's get started."

After sifting through all this stuff for what felt like forever, we didn't seem to find anything that would help placing Vernon as the murderer. Or anyone, for that matter. That is, until I opened a chest filled with a bunch of rolled up posters.

"This is just a bunch of old-timey magic stuff." Dean muttered. "None of it magic."

"No herbs, no candles, and no tarot cards." Sam sighed.

I grabbed one of the posters, unraveling it to reveal the picture of a younger man. "Whoa."

"I'll be damned." Dean mumbled, looking over my shoulder at the picture.

"What?" Sam asked from across the room.

"Look like anyone we know?" Dean asked as I held up the poster, showing Sam.

* * *

 **THEATER – NIGHT**

"You were ready to kill yourself. I saved your life." A much younger looking Charlie said as he face Jay and Vernon on the stage. Sam, Dean and I hung back, listening to the end of their conversation before we went in.

"Is that right, Jay?" Vernon asked.

"I was there for you, like I've always been. Like I'll always be. Come with me, both of you." Charlie said. "You think the first time around was good? The second time's even better. All the know how, none of the aches and pain."

"No, I won't do this. I won't." Jay said, shaking his head.

"I've never made this offer before. But, then again, I've never had friends like the two of you before. Let me do this for you."

"And who else has to die so that we can live forever? What's the price tag on immortality? This isn't right, Charlie, what you're doing. You know that. Somewhere, you know that."

"I know I don't want to come back alone, to start all over, _alone_."

"Jay...we can be young again." Vernon said, clearly buying into it.

"The three of us together, vital and alive...forever"

"Time to go." Dean said, making his presence known, Sam walking out behind him while I stayed back. "Not so fast! I ain't _Guttenberg_ , and this ain't _Cocoon_. Immortality. That's a neat trick."

"It's not a trick. It's magic." Charlie said.

Suddenly a noose appeared behind Dean, dropping around his neck, lifting him. I heard a gunshot, turning around to see Sam with his gun raised, and Charlie holding the bullet in between his teeth.

Charlie smiled, taking the bullet out. "Hey, bullet catch. I've been working on that."

"Let him go!" Sam shouted, walking onto the stage.

"Just leave me and my friends alone. Alright, I will give it up. The spells, the hexes. This is the last time. I promise."

Charlie suddenly pushed Sam onto the sword table, tying him down onto it as the swords shook above him. Trying to stay as quiet as possible, I quickly made my way around the stage, moving up behind Charlie, pulling my knife out. Just as I was about to plunge the knife into his stomach, Vernon looked over at me and Charlie turned around slapping the knife out of my hand.

"There you are. I was wondering if you'd ever show." Charlie said, grabbing me roughly.

"Let her go!" Dean shouted, still struggling against the noose. Charlie didn't say a word, but suddenly, the noose tightened around Dean's neck.

"Dean!" I cried as Charlie pulled another curtain away, revealing a tank of water.

"This was going to be our next trick." Charlie said, leading me up ramp. I struggled against him, but as I did so, one of the swords above Sam fell, landing right next to his head. Charlie held me tighter. "Try that again and I won't miss."

"Yeah. Okay." I nodded as Charlie slid the top off the tank, revealing the water filled to the very top.

"See, if you just let us go...you wouldn't be in this mess right now. Remember Houdini? And his famous water torture cell trick? He got out of it. You won't be so lucky." Charlie said, pushing me into the water, sealing the tank.

I banged on the top of the tank, trying to break it open, but it was no use. Through the glass, I could see Dean still struggling, watching me as I held my breath, feeling my lungs begin to ache. Just then, I saw Charlie holding his stomach, that he was now bleeding from, turning to look at Jay, who was standing behind him with my knife, a betrayed look on his face as he fell to the ground.

Sam and Dean both got loose from their restraints, rushing over to the top of the tank, opening it and pulling me out as I coughed.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked, holding me in his arms.

"Yeah." I nodded, inspecting his throat, where rope marks were forming. "Are you?"

"Yeah. Thought I almost lost you again."

"Funny. Me too." I mumbled humorlessly, holding him to me.

* * *

 **BAR – NIGHT**

Once I'd gotten dried off and changed, we made our way back into the bar where Jay was sitting, downing shot after shot.

"Hey, Jay. We wanted to thank you for what you did." Dean muttered.

"I just killed my best friend, and you want to thank me?" Jay asked incredulously.

"Well, you did save our lives, so." I shrugged. "It'd be kind of wrong not to. But, I am sorry. Really."

"Yeah."

"Where's Vernon?" Sam asked.

"Oh, he's gone. He said he didn't want to speak to me again after what I did to Charlie."

"Listen, Jay, you know Charlie was never gonna give up what he was doing. Ever. You did the right thing." Dean told him.

"Are you sure about that? You know, Charlie was like my brother. And now he's dead...because I did _the right thing_. He offered me a gift, and I just threw it back in his face. So now I have to spend the rest of my life old and alone. What's so right about that?" Jay asked, standing to his feet.

"Jay, your cards." The bartender called, nodding to the deck of cards on the bar.

"Throw them away." Jay said, leaving the bar.

Dean let out a breath, turning back around after we watched him go. "Well, I don't know about you, but...I could go for a beer."

"I'm gonna take a walk." Sam mumbled, leaving the bar. Dean and I watched him go, not bothering to go after him, figuring he just needed some of his _Sam_ time alone. I just hoped he wasn't about to do anything stupid.

"I don't know about you, but I could go for something a hell of a lot stronger than a beer." I sighed.

With everything that's been going on, I need it.

* * *

 ** _Oh, Brad_. **

***wink, wink* shout out to my fellow** _ **RHPS**_ **fans, if you're out there!**

 **Also, can we please take a moment to appreciate the title of this episode? Like honestly...yes :D**

 **By the way, I tried to make this chapter more lighthearted despite what's going on between Dean and Tori right now, but remember, I can only make this story as happy and light as Supernatural is. Maybe just a little more. So, you know, don't get your hopes up lol ;D**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Follow me for updates and stuff! Also because it makes me _super-_ happy ;)  
Twitter: phoenixwrites79  
Instagram: phoenixwritesfanfiction**


	15. After School Special

_You sit there in your heartache  
Waiting on some beautiful boy to  
To save your from your old ways  
You play forgiveness  
Watch it now, here he comes  
…._

 _Can we climb this mountain?  
I don't know  
Higher now than ever before  
I know we can make it if we take it slow  
Let's take it easy  
Easy now, watch it go  
…._

 _We're burning down the highway skyline  
On the back of a hurricane  
That started turning when you were young  
When you were young_

 _And sometimes you close your eyes_  
 _And see the place where you used to live_  
 _When you were young_

 **The Killers – When You Were Young**

* * *

The hospital that the Impala was parking out in front of was pretty empty considering the time of day. I noticed this while I was staring out of the window at the white lines on the asphalt, trying my hardest to get rid of the loud ringing in my ears. It had dulled slightly, but was back in full force.

That coupled with the fact that Dean's words were still ringing in my ear. And that he was still watching me as though I was about to burst any second. I noticed myself tried to think of anything to distract from the constant ringing in my ears – even if it meant staring at the faded white lines of a parking lot.

Dean cleared his throat from the driver seat, looking back at me in the rear-view mirror. "You okay?"

I nodded slowly, shrugging my shoulders. "Yeah."

"Is the ringing-"

"Still loud as all hell? Yeah."

Sam stepped out of the hospital doors, a troubled look on his face as he made his way back to the Impala, opening the passenger door, sliding down into the seat. "I think she's telling the truth. I mean, the way she talked about being there mentally, but not physically – kind of sounds like demonic possession to me."

"Kind of?" Dean asked.

"She didn't see any black smoke or smell sulfur."

"Maybe it's not a demon." I shrugged, leaning forward in my seat. "I mean, kids can be vicious."

"Well, I mean, we're already here. Might as well check out the school."

"Right." Dean nodded. " _The school_."

"What?" Sam asked.

"Truman High, home of the Bombers."

"What's your point?"

"I mean, we went there, like...for a month a million years ago. Why are you so jazzed to go back?" Dean asked, looking over at Sam with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not. I just think it's worth looking into."

"What's our cover? FBI? Homeland Security?" I asked.

"Swedish exchange students?" Dean added with a smirk. I grinned over at him, shaking my head.

"Don't worry. I got an idea." Sam said.

"Okay." Dean nodded, driving out of the parking lot.

A little while later after getting everything we needed, we pulled up in front of the all too familiar tan building, which seemed to have faded quite a lot since we'd last been here. I stared up at it through the window – remembering what now seemed like a much simpler time.

* * *

 **TRUMAN HIGH – DAY  
Twelve years ago**

Sitting in the backseat of the car next, I glanced to my left to see Sam staring out the window as the trees passed us by. I felt the need to get him to talk, but at the same time, I knew how upset he was and didn't want to push his buttons. So instead, I leaned my head back on the headrest listening as _Foreigner_ played loudly through the speakers.

Not too long after that, John stopped in front of a tall tan and light pink colored building. I stared at the small staircase leading up to the clear double doors. Taking a deep breath, I got out of the car as Sam followed along. He walked around to my side, glancing up at me as Dean stepped out of the car next to us, leaning back down into the open window.

"Thanks, Dad." Dean muttered, patting the door before turning back towards Sam and I, looking down at us. "Got your lunch? Books? Butterfly knife?"

I nodded with a sigh as Sam grumbled. "Yeah, Dean."

"You okay?"

"Sure." Sam shrugged, kicking the ground.

"Sammy..."

"I mean, look, this is the third school we've been to this year and it's only November. I'm just sick of always being the new kid."

I felt for Sam. I knew this wasn't the easiest for him as he wanted so desperately to be... _normal_. But that just couldn't be allowed with what we did and staying in one place for too long just wasn't an option.

"You'll be fine. If anyone gives you any trouble, you let me know." Dean said, placing a hand on Sam's shoulder. " _Relax_. Dad said this hunt will take him two weeks, tops. As soon as he gets back, we're out of here."

"To another school. Awesome." Sam complained, walking up the stairs, entering the building without another look back at us.

Dean watched him go, looking over at me once Sam was out of sight. "What about you, Tor? You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah." I nodded, forcing a smile on my face. "You?"

Just then a girl wearing a short mini skirt and tight top walked by, catching Dean's attention. "Oh, I'm gonna be just fine."

"See you later." I muttered, walking off as he drooled over the girl. I flung the door open, trying to stomp down the ridiculous jealousy bubbling in my chest.

I knew it was stupid of me to feel like this. Dean was supposed to be my brother, just like Sam was. Why can't I just get over this dumb little crush?

* * *

Not too long after I made it to my first class, walking in somewhat awkwardly as I glanced around the room, looking at all the kids talking adamantly. The teacher perked up as I entered, looking up at me with a small smile.

She stood, addressing the class. "We have a new student. Everyone welcome, Victoria Anderson."

I just stood there as everyone mumbled hello's, knowing that the way I held myself gave off a really _don't care if I'm here or not_ vibe, but it was pretty true. I shuffled around, waiting for the next question that I knew I would never answer.

"Would you like to tell us something about yourself, dear?" The teacher asked, her voice chipper and a little too happy for this time of the morning. I raised an eyebrow, biting my lip as the entire class stared up at me.

This was it. The exact moment I shut myself off from everyone.

"Nope."

"Oh." She murmured, slightly taken aback by my answer. "Take your seat, then."

I nodded, walking down the isle of kids, taking my seat at the very back of the class. I froze as I moved to take my books out, staring down at my bag with a glare. I shouldn't even bother, right? Dean most definitely doesn't.

I mean, really, what's the point? All of this is useless. We're just going to leave soon, anyway. Who cares if I don't take notes and do what I was supposed to? Did it really matter?

But like always, there was that little nagging voice in the back of my head – which freakishly sounded a lot like Sam – that told me it _did_ matter. And just because fate decided to drop me into this life doesn't mean I shouldn't get somewhat of an education in subjects other than how to kill supernatural creatures.

So I took my books out and got to work, like I always did.

* * *

 **PRESENT – DAY**

Smoothing the front of white, long sleeved button down over my pencil skirt and readjusting the bun I had my hair tied in, I walked down the long hallway, remembering our time spent here. I mean, it definitely wasn't the worst month of my life.

And compared to the last couple years, it was perfection.

I don't even know how Sam swung this, but he somehow got me a _job_ as the school counselor. Dean, however, didn't get something quite a professional as me.

After a bit of looking, I found the gym, standing in the doorway, watching as Dean stood in front of a line of younger kids. I couldn't help but chuckle at the white t-shirt, tight red shorts and a matching sweatband he wore. Dean blew the whistle around his neck loudly, calling all the kids to attention.

"Today, you will have the honor of playing one of the greatest games ever invented." Dean said, pacing back and forth in front of the children, a red ball in his hands. "A game of skill, agility, cunning. A game with one simple rule... _dodge_."

Dean quickly threw the ball he was holding at one of the kids, hitting him right in the stomach. I flinched as the boy groaned, holding onto his midsection while the ball bounced away.

"Sorry." Dean muttered. I looked to my right, hearing footsteps approach.

It was Sam, wearing his janitor outfit. I held a finger to my lips, telling him to keep quite as he stood in the doorway next to me to watch Dean.

One of the pudgier boys raised his hand. "Uh, Substitute Coach Roth..."

"Yes?"

"Ms. Boudreaux never let us play dodge ball." He mumbled, letting his hand fall to his side.

"Well, Ms. B's in Massachusetts getting married – so we're playing." Dean said, placing his hands on his hips. I covered my mouth, trying to hide the giggle that nearly erupted through my lips.

"She says it's dangerous."

Dean suddenly blew the whistle again. "Take a lap!"

The boy stared up at Dean with wide, slightly confused eyes. "But-"

I decided I was done watching the massacre, stepping into the gym to make my presence known. My heels clicked on the floor, catching Dean's attention. He turned around, throwing a small smile in my direction, before he made his way over to the bleachers, grabbing a big bag full of balls – throwing it all the kids.

"Go nuts."

"Having fun?" I asked, smiling at him.

"The whistle makes me their god." Dean muttered with a giddy smile.

"God of the thirteen year olds."

"Well."

"Nice shorts." Sam commented, glancing down at his legs with a raised eyebrow. Dean shrugged, looking down at them.

"I like them. They show off your legs." I said, smiling at him. "Just don't bend over in those, okay? You might get thrown in jail indecent exposure."

"Yeah, yeah." Dean mumbled, rolling his eyes as he looked up at Sam. "Find anything?"

Sam shook his head. "I've been over the entire school twice. No sulfur." .

"No sulfur, no demon. No demon, no case." Dean shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe I was wrong."

"Well, it happens to the best of us. I say we hit the road, huh?" Dean asked, glancing over at me. "But after lunch. It's sloppy-Joe day."

"Sure." I rolled my eyes nodding at him with a grin. Suddenly, the boy from before ran past us – holding his nose as it gushed blood. "Oh, no."

"Good hustle, Colby! Walk it off!" Dean shouted after the boy as he ran down the hallway, looking back at Sam and I with a slightly guilty expression.

* * *

 **OFFICE – DAY**

"But I just love him, you know?" The young blonde, Casey, sat in front me sobbing about how she and her boyfriend of a week were just meant to be – but her parents hated him, and his, her. "I feel like- like we're Romeo and Juliet, you know?"

"Right." I leaned forward in my seat, nodding along to what she was saying as I tried to not roll my eyes.

"I just don't understand how they don't like him! I mean sure, he's gotten arrested a couple times, but he's just misunderstood!" She cried. Arrested? Whoa, boy. "I just feel like I didn't have anyone else to talk to about this...what do you think I should do?"

Taking a deep breath, I thought over my answer, realizing I was not at all qualified for this job when I felt my phone vibrate next to my leg. While she wasn't looking, I took a quick glance at the screen, seeing it was from Dean.

 _Kid just got his hand turned into ground beef. In the gym – come quick._

I cringed, staring down at the screen. I didn't even know how to react to that. Was this part of the case or did Dean do something incredibly stupid in gym class?

"Ms. Anthony?" Casey asked, looking over at me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry, I- I'm fine." I cleared my throat, letting out a small breath. "You're fifteen, right?" She nodded, looking up at me with all the hope in the world that I'd just agree with her. "This guy, is he good to you?"

"Oh, definitely. He's so sweet."

"Well, maybe your parents will come around." I shrugged, understanding how she felt to a point.

I didn't want to listen to John's rules about Dean and I not being allowed to be together. And if we had listened, we wouldn't be where we are now with each other. But this was different. She was a normal girl, not a hunter.

And for all I know, this guy could really be a future serial killer.

"But, you know, they might actually know what's best for you right now...so, you gotta give them the benefit of the doubt. They're your parents, and even if it might not seem like it, they do care about you." I added.

Casey stared out the window, thinking what I said over for a second. I glanced up at the clock on the wall. It had been about eight minutes since Dean texted me, and he was probably wondering where I am right now.

"I guess you're right." Casey shrugged, standing to her feet. I followed suit as she pulled me in for a hug. I was a bit taken-aback by it, but hugged her back. "Thanks for listening."

"Anytime." I muttered letting go of her.

Thankfully, I had no other appointments yet and made my way out of the office to find Dean standing in front of the closed gym doors, he looked up, hearing me approach.

"What the hell took you so long? Everyone's waiting."

"I had a kid in there, Dean. I couldn't just leave her. Now, what did you do?"

" _Me_? I didn't do anything!" Dean exclaimed, looking slight offended.

"What happened with the kid's hand?" I asked.

"You'll find out. All of the staff have to sit in on some kind of meeting."

"Alright." I sighed as Dean held the gym doors open for me.

We made our way inside as all of the other teachers turned to look at us, eyebrows raised. We hurried up and sat down, listening as the Principal droned on for twenty minutes about how we need to teach the younger generation that _violence is never the answer_ and _safety is key_.

Once his speech had ended and we were all dismissed, some of the teachers stayed lingering around the gym while Dean and I snuck back out into the hallway, finding Sam leaning against a set of lockers, waiting for us.

"How's the nonviolence assembly going?" Sam asked as we started to head back down the hallway, away from the gym.

"Well, apparently, shoving a kid's arm into a Cuisinart is not a _healthy display of anger_." Dean shrugged.

"Who knew?" I asked sarcastically.

"So, he had ectoplasm leaking out his ear?"

"Which only comes from a seriously pissed-off spirit. It's got to be ghost possession." Sam said.

"Yeah, but that's pretty rare."

"Yeah, but it happens. I mean, they get angry enough, they can take control of a person's body."

"Alright, so, what? We got a ghost in the building?"

"Okay, but where?" I asked. "There's no EMF anywhere."

"Maybe we could find out who it is, at least." Sam suggested. "You know, check and see if somebody died bloody around here or something."

"Way ahead of you. I had to break into the principal's office to get this. Oh, and FYI, three of the cheerleaders are legal." Dean smiled over at me. "Guess which ones."

"The hot ones?" I asked dryly.

"Bingo."

I smirked, looking up at him with a tinge of playfulness in my eyes. "Are any of the hot jocks legal?"

"Well, I- I didn't check."

"Of course not. If you get to bang a hot cheerleader, then I get to bang a hot jock."

"Okay, nobody's banging anyone." Dean said, narrowing his eyes at me. "You are especially not banging an eighteen year old jock."

"Is that a challenge?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Guys!" Sam called, looking at us with wide, disapproving eyes. "Can we get back to the case, please?"

"Yeah." I nodded, smiling up at him. I don't know what it was about this high school, but it brought out the jealousy in me. And apparently, Dean, too.

Actually, that's a lie. I know exactly what it was about this high school that brought out the jealousy in both of us.

Dean took a folded piece of paper out of his jacket pocket, opening it up. "So, there was only one death on campus. It was a suicide back in ninety-eight. Some kid named Barry Cook."

Sam immediately looked up at the name. I glanced over at his sad eyes. "You hung around with him while we were here, right?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded with a sigh.

"I remember him. He was a sweet kid." I muttered, placing a hand on Sam's arm, feeling the sadness radiating off of him. "How did he die?"

"He slit his wrists in the first-floor girls' bathroom." Dean told us.

"That's where-"

"Where the chick got swirleyed to death, exactly. So, what? This ghost is possessing nerds?"

"And using them to go after bullies. That's what it seems like." I nodded, glancing over at Dean. "It's kind of wrong to call them _nerds_ , though."

"Whatever." Dean grumbled, looking back to Sam. "Does that sound like Barry's M.O.?"

"Barry had a hard time." Sam sighed.

* * *

 **TRUMAN HIGH – DAY  
Twelve years go **

After a couple of my classes were finished, I was walking through the crowded hallway keeping to myself. I had noticed one of the jocks staring at me every time I'd passed in front of him today, but didn't take anything from it, just figuring that I was one of the _new kids_.

A little ways down the hallway, I saw Sam bend down to help pick up some kid's books off the floor. I made my way over to them, hearing the tail end of their conversation.

"I don't care." The boy said to Sam. "Three years, and I'm out of here. I'm going to Michigan State. They got the best vet program in the country."

"Do you like animals?" Sam asked, handing him a few books.

"They're a lot nicer than people."

"Hey Sam." I smiled, walking up to him. He smiled at me, looking over at the boy next to him, who just stared up at me, his eyes wide behind the thick frames he wore.

"Barry this is my sister Tori, Tori this is Barry." Sam said, introducing us.

I smiled down at the boy, watching as he nervously pushed his glasses back up on his nose. "Hi Barry."

"Hi." He muttered, quickly looking to the ground as the tips of his ears turned red.

"How's you day been?" I asked both boys.

"Alright. Yours?" Sam asked as Barry stayed silent next to him, glancing up at me every so often before looking away.

"Okay, I guess." I mumbled. "What's your next class?"

Sam was just about to answer when we heard our names being called loudly from across the hall.

"Sammy! Tori!" Dean shouted, waving at us with a big smile on his face. I looked up, shaking my head at him, but about to smile back when I felt a pang of jealousy hit me when the pretty blonde standing next to him laced her arm through his.

"Is that your brother with Amanda Heckerling?" Barry asked, glancing over at Dean. "He's cool."

I scoffed at that, shaking my head. "He's cool?"

"Yeah. He thinks so." Sam muttered. I just stared after Dean as he walked away with the girl.

God, I was so stupid for letting him get to me like that.

I decided to stay with the boys, walking them to their next class, but before we even made it halfway there, some guy came up behind us, spinning Sam around forcefully. "Hey, tough guy. I've been looking for you. Still want to take Barry's place?"

"Tori, get Barry out of here." Sam said, looking over at me.

"Yeah, right." I scoffed, looking back at Barry. "Go get a teacher."

Barry nodded, running away as Sam glared back at me. "Tori."

" _Sam_." I said, a warning tone to my voice. I wasn't going to step in and make him look stupid, he should know that. But there was no way I was leaving him with this lunkhead just in case something started happening.

"You want to go?" Dirk asked, looking down at Sam before glancing up at me. "Or are you gonna let a _girl_ fight this one for you?"

"Hell no." I laughed, backing away to the lockers. "Sam can take care of himself, just fine."

"I'm not gonna fight you, Dirk." Sam said, taking the high road.

"Why not? You chicken? Come on!" Dirk taunted.

"No."

Dirk threw a punch, connecting right with Sam's face. I saw red as Sam hit the floor, lunging at the bastard in front of me.

"You asshole!" I screamed, suddenly being pulled back by two strong arms. I tried to pry them off me, but they wouldn't budge. "Let me go!"

"Get up! Come on! Get up!" Dirk smirked, looking down at Sam, who just stared up at him.

One of the teachers ran up, Barry not far behind him. "Hey, get back! Get back. That is enough."

Dirk took off, heading in the other direction down the hallway as the teacher chased after him. I stood there, breathing heavily while still being held back. Barry rushed over to Sam, helping him up from the floor.

"Get off me!" I grunted, finally wiggling my way out of the arms holding me. I turned around to see the same guy that was staring at me before standing there.

"You're pretty strong for a girl. Gave me a workout there." He said, looking at me with wide eyes.

"' _For a girl_ '?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, that-that's not what I meant." He scrambled, looking down at me.

"That's what you said." I glared up at him, crossing my arms.

"You probably could've kicked the shit out of that guy." He muttered, a small smile on his face.

"Probably. If you would've let me."

"I was just trying to stop things before they started."

"This had nothing to do to you? Why do you care?"

"I just don't like seeing kids get picked on, that's all." He shrugged. "I'm James."

"Tori." I mumbled, turning back to Sam, whose face was starting to become red. "You need to go to the nurse. We need to get you patched up."

* * *

 **GRAVEYARD – NIGHT  
Present **

Sam, Dean and I were standing over Barry's grave – staring down at the coffin. Sam sighed, pouring the kerosene over it as I sprinkled some salt. I took the can from Sam, walking over to our bag to put the things away while Dean threw a match into the grave.

"So long, Barry Cook." Dean murmured, glancing up at Sam, who had a sad expression etched into his face. "You alright?"

"Barry was my friend. I just burned his bones." Sam muttered somberly.

"He's at peace now, Sam." I said softly, placing a hand on Sam's arm, trying to offer whatever comfort I could.

"I mean, if Dad had let us stay just a little while longer...maybe I could have helped the kid, you know?" Sam said, looking at me with sad eyes.

"You read the coroner's report, same as me. Barry was on every anxiety drug and antidepressant known to man. School was hell for that kid. His parents had split up. He just wanted out." Dean said. "It was tragic, but it's not your fault."

* * *

 **TRUMAN HIGH – DAY**

Even though we were supposed to leave after getting a night's sleep, Sam had insisted on us coming back to the school. He wouldn't say why, that is, until Dean kept asking over and over again. Sam finally told us once we got in the parking lot that he wanted to go speak to one of the teachers here.

"We came back here so you could talk to a teacher?" Dean asked incredulously.

"He's a good guy." Sam shrugged.

"Well, whatever. Go have your _Robin Williams_ _O captain! My captain!_ moment. Just make it quick." Dean muttered with a roll of his eyes. Sam got out of the car without another word, heading into the school.

I leaned back in the front seat, looking out the window at the school. "Oh, this place."

"I hate it."

"You hate all schools."

"True." Dean shrugged. "But I just really hate this place."

"Dean, that was years ago." I said, looking over at him with a small smile. "Are you still jealous?"

"No."

"Yes, you are."

"Nope." Dean mumbled, shaking his head.

"I think you are." I murmured, scooting closer in the front seat, gently angling his face towards mine, placing a kiss on his lips.

It was amazing how quickly that simple, soft kiss dissolved into a full on make-out session.

Not that I was complaining.

Minutes passed and even though I was thoroughly lost in the moment, I still had enough sense to realize that Sam had been in there a little too long for something he wanted to do quickly.

"What's the matter?" Dean asked, noticing the change in me, staring down at my lips as he pulled back.

"Hasn't Sam been in there for a while now?" I asked, glancing out the window. Dean gently turned my face back to his.

"I'm sure he's fine." He mumbled, kissing me again. I felt myself melt against him, but something inside was telling me that something was wrong.

I pushed him away gently, looking up at him with an apologetic smile. "I'm just gonna go check on him real quick."

Dean nodded. "Want me to come with you?"

"No." I shook my head. "I'm okay."

"Alright. Don't take too long." Dean smirked, running his hand down my arm as I got out of the Impala. I quickly made my way into the school, walking down an empty hallway when I heard a lot of commotion coming from the other hall across the way.

"You got tall, Winchester." I heard a young girl say. I rounded the corner just as Sam grabbed the girl, shoving salt in her mouth. A mist ripped away from her body and she collapsed in his arms.

"Sam!" I yelled, running towards him. I placed my hand over the small wound on his stomach that was gushing a good amount of blood, putting pressure on it. "What happened?"

"She asked where room three-oh-five was. I told her...and then she stabbed me." He replied.

"Okay. We have to get you patched up." I said, helping him to his feet.

* * *

 **WOODS – DAY**

After patching up Sam's wound and getting that girl to the nurse under the pretense that she'd passed out in the hallway, the three of us were sitting on the trunk of the Impala. I had my arm wrapped around Sam's shoulders, leaning into his side.

The whole thing eerily reminded me of one of the days spent at this school.

Watching Sam get knocked to the ground by a giant bully wasn't something I was fond of remembering, but Dean's reaction will forever be in my mind. He was so angry – the need to protect his little brother the only thing in his mind.

* * *

 **SCHOOL YARD – DAY  
Twelve years ago **

The sun beat down on us as I sat next to Sam on the bench, my arm wrapped tightly around his shoulders. He was still slightly mad at me for telling Dean what had happened, but there was no way I couldn't say something.

Because one, if either of us didn't tell him, he'd find out from someone else and get upset. And two, there was absolutely no way to hide that deep purple shade that was currently coloring in his eye socket.

"That kid's dead." Dean gritted his teeth, angrily pacing back and forth in front of us.

"Dean." Sam muttered, holding the icepack the nurse had given him to his cheek.

"I'm gonna rip his lungs out!" Dean yelled, stopping in front of me. "Why didn't you do anything?"

"You don't think I tried, you jerk?" I glared as he rose an eyebrow, looking down at me. "Some guy came and held me back. Otherwise, his lungs would have been thoroughly removed from his body. So, _don't_ yell at me!"

Dean and I glared at each other for a minute, neither one of us wanting to give in. I know Dean was acting this way only because he cared for Sam so much, but there was no way I was about to sit back and let him blame me for this. I cared about Sam, too.

"Guys!" Sam yelled, snapping us out of it. "It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal? Sammy, look at yourself." Dean said. "If Dad was here-"

"He's not."

"Well, I am!" Dean shouted, getting angry all over again. "And as soon I'm finished with that dick-"

"Shut up, okay?! I don't need your help." Sam said, looking up at Dean, before taking in a breath, glancing over at me. "And I don't need yours either."

"That's right, you don't. You could have torn him apart. So why didn't you?"

"Because I don't want to be the freak for once, Dean. I want to be normal."

"So taking a beating, that's normal?"

"Any word from John?" I asked, trying to change the subject before the boys turned on each other.

"He called this morning, said he's going to be another week at least. We weren't supposed to be here this long."

"At least you've got Amanda. She's cool." Sam shrugged, a sarcastic tone to his voice as he shot an eye roll at me.

"Dude, she wants me to meet her parents." Dean said, sounding scared out of his mind. "I don't do parents."

"Oh, no." I muttered. "You know what's next, right?"

"What?" Dean asked, slightly confused.

"You better start looking for that ring." I said with a smirk, wiggling my left ring finger. Dean's face went completely white as he stood there, staring at me slack-jawed.

"Yeah, Dean." Sam chuckled. "Oh, and you should look into buying a nice house in a good neighborhood."

"A big one though, so you have enough room for all those kids you're gonna have. And that golden retriever." I added. Dean started breathing heavily, looking like he was about to fall over. Sam and I couldn't hold it in anymore, laughing at the look of absolute horror on Dean's face.

"We better stop before he has a heart attack." Sam mumbled, looking up at me with a smile on his face as I nodded.

"So, you can go toe to toe with any monster out there, but can't handle a little talk about commitment?" I asked, laughing lightly.

"Tori!" A voice called from across the yard. I looked over to see James walking out, a small smile on his face.

"Who the hell is that?" Dean asked, sounding irritated. Is he jealous?

Am I seriously that delusional?

"James." I replied, getting up from the bench.

"Who is James?"

"A friend." I shrugged, patting Dean on the shoulder as I passed. "Dude, you need to calm down." Dean glanced down at me, a strange look burning in his eyes as I shook my head, glancing back at Sam. "See you guys later."

Sam mumbled something that sounded a lot like _jealous_ to Dean as I walked away, but I'm sure I must have misheard him.

"Hey." James smiled when I reached him.

"Hi."

"I'm really sorry about what happened to your brother."

"Thanks."

"So, you really were gonna kick the crap out of that guy, huh?"

"Probably, yeah. I don't like people messing with my family."

"No, yeah, I totally get it. I have a little sister. She's eight."

"Aw." I smiled.

"I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch?"

"With you?"

"Yeah." James nodded, smiling at me, his blue eyes lighting up in contrast to his dirty blonde, cropped hair. "I know a really quiet place, if you wanna go."

"You know, I think I'd like that." I smiled.

James led me across the yard near the edge of the thick woods where a lone picnic table sat, slightly overrun by weeds, but otherwise clean. I glanced back to see that Sam was gone, but Dean was sitting at the bench, staring over at me. I rolled my eyes, wishing he'd just drop the _protective big brother_ thing already.

"So, mind if I ask some questions?" James asked randomly as he pulled out some of his lunch.

"I guess not." I mumbled around the bite I'd just taken of my apple.

"So, you and your family just moved here?"

"Uh, no. We're only gonna be here until John gets back. Then we're leaving."

"Oh, really?" He asked, his eyes going wide in shock. I nodded. "Who's John?"

"John is my step-father." I said, the lie easily dripping off my tongue.

"Oh, cool. So those are your step-brothers?"

"Yeah, Sam and Dean."

"How is Sam?"

"Fine. He's tough."

James nodded, popping a small baby carrot into his mouth, swallowing before he started speaking again. "Why are you leaving so soon?"

"Well, John works in a lot of different places, so...we don't stay in one place for too long."

"That sucks."

"Not really." I shrugged, playing with the ends of my hair.

"Well, I'm sure you don't get to keep a lot of friends that way."

I laughed. "No."

"Well, if it means anything...I'll be your friend while you're here." James smiled down at me, a sweet look in his eyes.

"Thanks." I smiled back, taking a moment to realize that James was actually pretty attractive. I couldn't be getting jealous over Dean and his girlfriends for the rest of my life.

I had to move on and get myself over that silly little crush.

* * *

 **WOODS – DAY  
Present **

"That ghost is dead. I'm gonna rip it's lungs out!" Dean yelled. I raised an eyebrow at him, a grin on my face. "Well, you know what I mean."

"It knew my name, Dean. My real name. We burned Barry's bones. What the hell?" Sam asked, looking confused.

"Maybe it wasn't Barry. Maybe we missed something." I said, looking over at Dean as he grabbed the file out of the backseat.

"No way." Dean mumbled, looking over the paper. "How did we not see this before?"

"What?"

" _Martha Dumptruck_ , _Revenge of the Nerds_ , and _Hello Kitty_ – they rode the same bus."

"The names, Dean. Come on." I shook my head, rolling my eyes at him.

"Whatever."

"Okay, so maybe the bus is haunted." Sam muttered.

"Well, that would explain why there's no EMF at the school, but not the attacks. I mean, ghosts are tied to the places that they haunt. They can't just bail." Dean said.

"Unless this one can." I said with a shrug. "I mean, there's a lot of lore about spirits possessing people and staying in them for miles. And then whenever they leave the body, they're immediately brought back to their usual haunt. But until then, the ghosts can go wherever they want."

"So, a spook just grabs a kid on the bus and walks right into Truman?"

"It's possible." Sam nodded, looking between us.

"Ghosts getting creative." Dean muttered, shaking his head. "Well, that's super."

* * *

After locating the bus that the three kids all rode on, Dean and I made our way inside while Sam stood at the back of the bus, his EMF meter out.

"Here, ghosty, ghosty, ghosty!" Dean called. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

"This isn't _Casper,_ Dean." I muttered behind him, a smile on my face as he turned to face me, shrugging with a grin.

"This bus definitely ain't clean." Sam sighed, leaning on one of the seats after he came in. "Man, I don't get it. No one ever died on this bus, and it's not like there's a body hidden in here."

"Yeah, but a flap of skin, a hair, I mean, hell, a hangnail, something's got to be tying the ghost to this place. We just got to find it." Dean said, looking in between the seats.

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"We could always just torch the whole bus." I said, thinking out loud, gaining wide-eyed looks from both boys. "What? It could work."

"...let's not do that."

"Okay." I shrugged, heading over to the driver seat, finding a few papers laying around. "Got a new driving permit. Issued two weeks ago."

"Just before the first attack."

"Yeah. Name of the bus driver is Dirk McGregor Sr. Thirty-nine North Central Avenue."

"McGregor?" Sam asked, moving towards the front of the bus.

"Yeah. Why?" I asked, turning around.

"I knew his son."

I shared a look with Dean, who raised an eyebrow at his brother. "Did you know everybody at this school?"

"No, Dean. But I remember this kid."

"Who was he?" I asked.

"Remember the black eye I got? He's the one who gave it to me."

* * *

 **LIVING ROOM – DAY**

The three of us sat on the small couch in the tiny living room of the home owned by Mr. McGregor, watching him as he sat across from us, looking over at Sam. "So, you were friends with Dirk?"

"Yes, sir, in high school." Sam replied with a nod.

"I don't recall Dirk having many friends at Truman."

"When did, uh- when did Dirk pass?" Dean asked.

"He was eighteen."

"What happened to him?" I asked gently.

"Well, first there was drinking, then drugs, and then too many drugs. And then he just slipped through my fingers." Mr. McGregor replied, a sad look coming to his eyes. "It was my fault. I should have seen it coming, you know? Dirk, he- he had his troubles."

"What kind of troubles?"

"School was never easy for Dirk. We didn't have much money, and...well, you know, kids. They can be cruel. They picked on him."

"They picked on _him_?" Sam asked, clearly remembering what a bully Dirk seemed to be, pushing around kids smaller than him.

"They called him poor and dirty and stupid. They even had a nickname for him – _Dirk the jerk_." He explained. I noticed Sam look down, a guilty expression in his eyes. "And after what happened to his mother, he…"

"His mother?"

"Yeah, Jane, my wife. She died when Dirk was thirteen. Cancer. I was working three jobs, so it fell to Dirk to take care of her. And he was a great kid. He made sure Jane got her medicine. He helped her, cleaned up after her. But, you know, you- you watch somebody die slow, waste away to nothing...it does things to a person. Horrible things."

"I didn't know about his mother." Sam muttered, looking down. I subtly put my arm around him, knowing he was having a hard time with this.

Sam had told me what happened between him and Dirk, how he actually gave in and punched him, called him _Dirk the jerk_. Then all the other kids did, too.

"He- he wouldn't talk about her, not even to me. A lot of anger in that boy." Mr. McGregor said.  
"I'm sorry."

"Well, we'd really like to pay our respects, Mr. McGregor." Dean said. "Um, you mind telling us where Dirk is buried?"

Mr. McGregor shook his head. "Oh, he wasn't. I had him cremated."

"All of him?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow. I smacked my knee into Dean's, shooting a quick glare at him. Who asks that?

"I- I kept a lock of his hair." He muttered, looking strangely at Dean.

"Oh, that's- that's nice." Dean nodded, trying to ignore me. "Where do you keep that?"

"On my bus, in my Bible."

We thanked Mr. McGregor for his time, leaving his house to head back to the Impala parked across the street. As soon as McGregor went back inside, I smacked Dean on the back of the head.

"What was that for!?" Dean asked, rubbing the spot I'd hit.

"Could you at least try to be a little more subtle? I mean, really. _All of him?_ " I repeated sarcastically.

"Hey, we don't have time to waste here."

"There are better ways to ask, Dean."

"How?" Dean asked, genuinely having no clue.

"Don't worry about it." I muttered, patting him on the chest before walking around to the backseat of the Impala.

* * *

 **ROAD – NIGHT**

The three of us sat in the Impala on the side of the road, waiting for the bus to rive by. I let out a yawn, grabbing Dean's wrist to look at his watch. This bus was definitely running late.

"This is ridiculous." I shook my head. "You better hope someone else doesn't drive by or else we'll have to book it."

"Don't worry. This road is practically abandoned at this time." Dean muttered, staring down the road.

"Better hope so." I mumbled with a grin as Dean shot playful daggers at me, shaking his head.

A few minutes later, we saw the headlights of the bus driving down the street, speeding in front of us – the tired blew as they hit the spike strip, pulling over to the side of the road. Sam, Dean and I quickly got out of the car, heading over the back of the bus.

The bus driver stepped outside, inspecting the tires. Quickly, Sam walked around the side of the bus – cocking his shotgun as Dean and I moved around the other side, standing at the front with the rope in his hands.

"Dirk!" Sam called.

The man turned around, his face familiar to me, but I could barely see him in the darkness. "Winchester. What are you gonna do, shoot me?"

We snuck up behind the guy, wrapping the rope around him, tying his arms down to his sides, lowering him to the ground where he struggled against the restraints.

"Don't need to. That rope is soaked in salt water, Dirk. You're not going anywhere." Sam told him as Dean and I stepped up into the bus.

"Alright, everybody stay where you are. You'll be okay." I said.

"Aren't you the P.E. Teacher?" One of the students asked Dean, before looking over at me. "Aren't you the counselor?"

"Not really." Dean shook his head, nodding to me. "We're like _Twenty-One Jump Street_. The bus driver sells pot. So, yeah."

The two of us quickly started looking for the lock of hair around the front of the bus. I was looking around for the bible McGregor said it'd be in, but there was nothing.

"It's not here." I stood up, looking over at Dean.

"Torching this bitch is starting to sound better and better." Dean mumbled to me before yelling out to Sam. "It's not here!"

"Where is it?" Sam asked.

"No way you'll ever find it." The man laughed. I headed back outside, leaving Dean in the bus.

It was when I stood in front of the man tied up on the ground that I realized who it was. James. I felt my face pale slightly as I looked down at him. He looked the same, albeit a bit older, but still the same.

Sam held the gun to his chest. "Where is it?!"

"Sam Winchester. Still a bully. You- you jocks... you popular kids-" Dirk paused, gesturing to James's body. "You always thought you were better than everybody else. And to you, I was just _Dirk the jerk_ , right? Now you evil sons of bitches are gonna get what's coming to you."

"I'm not evil, Dirk. I'm not. And neither were you. Trust me. I've seen real evil. We were scared and miserable, and we took it out on each other. Us and everybody else. That's high school. But you suffer through that, and it gets better. I'm just sorry you didn't get a chance to see that...you or Barry." Sam said.

"Nothing is gonna get better for me. Not ever." Dirk spoke through James, suddenly breaking out of the rope.

Sam immediately fired at him, knocking him to the ground as Dirk's spirit flew back into the bus. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the bigger students jump off the bus, heading towards Sam.

"Find the hair!" Sam yelled, trying to fight off the boy.

I crouched down in front of a groggy James, starting to go through his pockets, figuring I'd look there for the hair, as he woke up. Just as I reached into his front pants pocket, he looked up at me, his eyes going wide.

"Tori?"

"Hi, James." I smiled down at him as Dean came back out of the bus, narrowing his eyes at the scene in front of him. I ignored him, feeling a lock of hair tied together by a tiny rubber band in James's pocket. "Dean, give me your lighter."

Dean kept his eyes narrowed at James as he reached into his pocket, throwing his lighter to me.

Just as the jock was about to punch Sam in the face again, I lit the hair on fire, dropping it into the asphalt as it burned up. Suddenly, Dirk screamed, flying out of the student, who collapsed on Sam.

"Little help?" Sam asked, trying to look around the boy at us.

"He's giving you the full cowgirl." Dean chuckled, heading over to help Sam roll the boy off of him.

James was still staring up at me in slight shock as I helped him sit up a bit, leaning against the school bus. "I don't...how- who- what?"

"All very good questions." I chuckled.

"What happened?"

"What do you think happened?"

"I think I was fucking possessed, that's what I think happened."

"Well, yeah."

"I was possessed!?" James exclaimed. I quickly shushed him, not needing any of the students to hear that.

"Yeah, by a ghost."

"What?"

"Don't worry, everything's fine now."

"Everything's fine? You kidding, right?" James asked, looking up at me with wide eyes. I just shrugged, not really having anything else to say. James slowly stood to his feet on shaky legs, glancing over at Sam and Dean, who was still shooting daggers at him. "Wait, why are you here? Again. You left, right?"

"Oh, yeah. We left, but uh- we had to come back."

"To kill a ghost..."

"Sort of."

"Is that something you do a lot?"

"Yeah. It's kind of something we always did."

"And that's why you had to leave?"

"Yeah."

"So that means..." James started, glancing over at the boys. "That's Dean and...Sam?"

"Hey, James." Sam smiled while Dean still glared.

"Hey, Sam." James's smile faded as he looked over at Dean. "Hey...Dean..."

" _Hey._ "

I rolled my eyes, lightly elbowing Dean in the ribs, looking back to James. "What are you doing here?"

"I coach the baseball team. We were on our way to practice."

"Oh, that's great." I smiled, remembering how he said that coaching a high school sports team was something he wanted to do in the future, to give back.

"Alright, alright." Dean interjected, making his way over, throwing an arm around my shoulders. James raised an eyebrow at the gesture, furrowing his brows in confusion before realization covered his features and he shot us a small smile. "You gonna call the cops?"

"Should I call the cops?" James asked.

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

" _After_ we're gone." Dean said pointedly.

James nodded. "Sure thing."

"Nobody hears about any of this."

"Right."

"Will you be okay out here?" I asked.

"Yeah." James muttered before looking between the three of us. "I'll just call up and tell them I got a couple flats."

"Good." Dean smiled forcefully.

"Uh, thanks guys. Really."

"Uh-huh."

"Good to see you again." James called as we started to walk away back towards the Impala.

Dean glanced back at him, narrowing his eyes again. I lightly slapping him on the chest, shaking my head with a laugh. "Come on."

Once we got in the car, Dean started up the engine, a sour look still on his face. Sam leaned up on the back of the front seat, grinning over at his brother. "Hey, Dean?"

"What?"

"Your jealous is showing."

"Shut up, Sam." Dean snapped as I chuckled.

"You know, James still looks pretty good for his age." I muttered, gaining another glare from Dean.

"Really?"

"Oh, come on, Dean. Did you not see his wedding band? He's married."

"So? Like a married guy wouldn't get with you just because _he's married_." Dean scoffed, shooting me an obvious look as he pulled back onto the road.

I raised an eyebrow, a small grin on my face. "Well, I wouldn't get with a married guy, how about that?"

"You know, Dean, I don't think I've seen you this jealous in a long time." Sam said.

Dean shook his head. "Sam-"

"In fact, the last time I saw you _this_ jealous...well was when Tori was with Evan. Remember Evan?" Sam asked, bringing up an old _boyfriend_ of mine.

"Yeah, I _remember_ _Evan_." Dean mumbled in disgust.

"You know, I think it's kinda hot when you get jealous." I said, smirking at him.

"Oh, and then you got jealous with Todd." Sam added. "And Seth. And-"

"Okay, Sam can we not go through a list of guys I've screwed, please?"

"You're right, it'd take too long to finish."

It was my turn to narrow my eyes, slapping him on the arm. "You're an idiot."

"Hey, Dean?"

"Why are you being so annoying?" Dean asked his little brother, clearly frustrated.

"Remember that night that Tori went out with James? You were so upset."

"I just didn't want you to get hurt." Dean muttered, glancing over at me.

"Aw, how sweet." I smiled, glancing back at Sam. "How upset was he?"

"So upset. And so jealous. He tried to hide it, but he didn't do that great of a job. 'Cause I knew. _Everyone_ knew. He thought you looked really hot that night, too."

"Dude!" Dean exclaimed, reaching his right hand back to slap Sam while he kept the other on the steering wheel. "Would you just shut it!?"

"What?" Sam shrugged innocently, a small smile on his lips.

* * *

 **SCHOOL YARD – DAY  
Twelve years ago**

It was Friday, and I was itching to get out of this damn place for at least a few days. Just lay around the motel and act a bit more normal than usual. I sat on one of the benches outside, waiting for Dean to get here so we could go get Sam and head back to the motel.

He was already running late by at least ten minutes and I was pretty sure I had a good idea why. I cringed at the thought, most definitely not wanting to think about him doing that kind of stuff with other girls.

I closed my eyes, leaning back on the table. I stayed like that for a few seconds until I felt someone's presence next to me.

"Late much?" I quipped, thinking it was Dean.

"I didn't think you were expecting me." James muttered, looking down at me.

"Oh, James. Hi. Sorry, I- I thought you were someone else."

"I could leave..."

"No. No, it's fine."

"So, I was wondering...uh, would you maybe- maybe want to go out with me tomorrow night? I know it's kind of short notice but-"

"I would like that, yeah." I smiled.

In the time we'd been here, I realized how I started to feel a little bit more like myself, before my life went to hell, as I spoke to him and flirted with him. I didn't really _sleep around_ , but I wasn't necessarily innocence personified.

Since what happened to Rose and Peter happened, I closed myself off. I wasn't as outgoing with strangers as I used to be. But I hoped to be getting that back. At least somewhat.

Just then, I saw Dean exiting the school, making his way over, shooting James a dirty look as he went.

"Hey, I gotta go." I said, digging in my bag for a marker, taking his arm, writing one of my many cell phone numbers down. "But call me and we can set up the date, okay?"

James smiled at the mention of the word date, nodding his head. "Alright."

"See you." I murmured, heading over to Dean, meeting him halfway in the school yard."What took you so long?"

"I was, uh, busy." Dean mumbled, looking over at James. "Is that James guy bothering you?"

"No, Dean. He's not bothering me. Just the opposite, really."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"What's _busy_ supposed to mean?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing." Dean shrugged as a smirk covered his lips. "Just a little _fun_ in an unlocked supply closet."

I shook my head at him, letting out a breath as we headed for the front entrance where we were supposed to meet Sam, who I guess was held up in class. Dean and I decided to wait for him at one of the benches, sitting down.

"You okay?" I asked, glancing over at Dean. Something was off, I could tell.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"Just wondering."

The sun shined down on us so brutally, that I felt myself getting too warm underneath my jacket. With a sigh, I let my bag fall to the ground, pulling my jacket off, thankful that I'd decided to only wear a thin, gray tank top underneath it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dean staring over in my direction. I looked to my left, seeing a girl standing there with her friends, wearing a low-cut strapless top. I rolled my eyes at myself for even thinking he was looking at me.

"You're one of those guys that gets turned on by shoulders, aren't you?"

"Huh?" Dean asked, a little bit louder than necessary, blinking rapidly as his eyes bounced around.

"Whoa. Are you okay?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah, I- I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Perfect."

"Okay…" I nodded, looking back to the field across the street from the school. "Are you sure you're okay? Because I don't think you've ever pretended to _not_ be staring at a hot girl."

"What? I wasn't staring..." Dean trailed off, his eyes flicking from mine to the girl a few feet away before he looked back to me, laughing lightly. "Oh, yeah, I guess I was. Staring. At her."

"...right."

"Oh, there's Sam!" Dean exclaimed, standing up. "Hi Sam!"

"...hi..." Sam mumbled, his brow furrowed in confusion at his brother's weird attitude.

"I'm gonna go get the car."

"Okay." Sam nodded, walking over to my side as Dean left. "What's going on with him?"

"I have no idea." I shrugged. "He's acting weird, isn't he?"

"Yeah. Extremely."

* * *

 **MOTEL – NIGHT**

By the time we'd gotten some food and headed back to the motel, the sun had set and Dean finally seemed to be back to his usual self. Sam had started on his homework, to which Dean just scoffed and turned the TV up louder when Sam asked him to lower it. I sat on the couch, smiling down at my phone as I texted James, the both of us talking about some plans for tomorrow night.

The more we talked, the more I may or may not have made it known how I wanted the night to end and James seemed more than ready for it.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited for it.

As much as I hated to admit it, I kind of found it hard to sleep thinking about everything. I never pegged myself for one of those lovesick girls, but I guess after everything I've been through, I'd be okay to let myself feel a little...love.

* * *

After sleeping in much later than usual, I got up before the boys, who were thankfully still sleeping, to go get some coffee and donuts from the place down the street. I figured it might soften the blow a little bit, because I'm not too sure how Dean will take the news that I'm going out with some _stranger_ , considering he's so protective. He definitely took the responsibility to keep Sam and I safe that John had put upon him very, very seriously. But I didn't care, I was gonna do it whether he liked it or not.

Still, I didn't want him mad at me...so, donuts.

And pie.

Once I'd collected the two huge boxes of baked goods and a couple cups of coffee, I headed back to the motel at around one, finding the boys wide away.

"Where were you?" Dean asked worriedly.

"I was getting breakfast." I shrugged, placing the boxes down.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just went down the street, Dean. I'm fine. I can take care of myself, you know."

"What'd you get?" Sam asked, making his way over to the table.

"Well, I got a bunch of donuts, but I also got you some fruit. But if you pick the fruit over the donuts, I want nothing to do with you anymore." I joked.

"What if I have some fruit _and_ a doughnut?"

"I guess I could live with that." I shrugged, messing up his already messy bed-head, shooting him a small smile before turning to Dean. "And you."

"What?" Dean asked, furrowing his brow.

"I got you something special." I smiled, lifting the lid on the second box, revealing about ten different slices of pie.

Dean stared down at the box suspiciously, looking up at me. "Why?"

"Why not?" I asked, laughing nervously. He's onto me. "I mean, _pie_ , right?"

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing!" I exclaimed, my voice getting squeaky. Where the hell do all my lying skills go when I talk to him?

"Tori-"

"Dean, can't I just do something nice for you guys? I mean, honestly. It's no big deal." I shrugged, grabbing the piece of cherry pie, holding it up to him, slowly waving it in front of his face. "Come on...it's really good."

Dean narrowed his eyes at me for a moment as I smiled up at him before taking the pie and fork from my hands, sitting down at the table. I mentally let out a heavy breath, glancing over to see Sam staring up at me, a small grin on his lips. I narrowed my eyes, silently telling him to zip it.

A good amount of time had passed, and Dean had nearly eaten every bit of pie, save for about the halves of two slices. He was currently, lying on the bed, looking like he was about to pass out and I had about two hours before James wanted to come pick me up.

"So..." I started, shuffling my feet on the carpet as I sat on the couch.

"Uh?" Dean asked, barely.

"So, you know James?"

"That blonde jock from school?"

"Yeah." I nodded, glancing over at Sam, again, silently telling him to shut up as he grinned.

"What about him?" Dean mumbled.

"Well, he wants to take me out tonight and I'm gonna go." I said fast, all in one breath.

"What?"

"He wants to take me out on a date and I told him I'd go. So I'm gonna go."

"I knew it! I knew something was up!" Dean exclaimed, sitting upright a little too fast, clutching his stomach with a groan. "Dammit, Tori."

"I didn't think you were eat _all_ of the pie, Dean."

"Oh, really?"

"Well, I didn't think you would, but I hoped you would." I muttered with a sheepish smile as I played with the ends of my hair.

"You _wanted_ me to feel like this?"

"Well, it makes it a lot harder for you to stop me if you can't move." I said, laughing lightly.

"Tori, I don't think you should go."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Oh, that's a great reason. _Because_. What are you, my mother?"

"I'm just saying, I know how guys my age think." Dean said.

"Yeah, so do I."

"Okay, so that's why I don't relaly think it's a good idea."

"Oh, but it was fine for you to go out and screw Amanda Heckerling?"

"Oh, my god." Sam sighed heavily, shaking his head at us as he tried to concentrate on the book in his lap.

"Tori-"

"Why can't I do the same thing?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because I'm a girl?"

"Yeah!" Dean exclaimed, his eyes widening as I narrowed mine at him. "No, no!"

"Oh, but it was fine for Amanda when _you_ were the one screwing _her_."

"Well, yeah! Wait, no. No."

"You're not being fair, Dean."

"Tori, listen, James is only doing this because he wants to...do what I did to Amanda."

"Well maybe I want him to do to me, what you did to Amanda."

Dean shook his head, a guilty look in his eyes. "Believe me, you don't."

"What _did_ you do to Amanda?"

"Well, she may or may not have caught me...making out with another girl." Dean muttered sheepishly, almost as if he didn't want me to know.

"Well, I mean, it's not like you guys were dating or anything." I shrugged. "Right?"

"I think she thought so." Dean admitted.

"Oh."

"I know, I'm a jerk."

"Well...not really."

"Actually, yeah, you are." Sam piped up.

Dean's head whipped around in the direction of his brother, narrowing his eyes at him."Who the hell asked you?"

"Okay, uh, Dean listen, about James...I'm the one who brought _things_ up." I said, gaining a stunned look from Dean as he turned back to me.

"You, what?"

"Yeah. He just said he wanted to go on a date, like the movies or something. But I figured since we were leaving this Monday, maybe we could do a little...more."

"And- and where are you gonna...do that? In the backseat of his car?"

"If things go according to plan, probably."

"So, out- out in a parking lot in some dudes car, all cramped and everything...I mean, come on, Tor, is that really how- how you want to- to have your first time go?" Dean barely choked out.

"What?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

"I mean, that's- that's not gonna be...good."

"Okay, well, Dean, see-" I paused, letting out a breath as I shook my head. "It wouldn't be my... _first time_."

"What?"

"I'm not a virgin."

"Oh god." Sam complained, rolling his eyes.

"You aren't?" Dean asked, looking a little shocked.

"No." I laughed. "I'm just about as much of a virgin as you are."

Dean's eyes widened, looking a little bit horrified. "Don't say that."

"This is something I want and kind of need to do right now, okay?" I asked. "I'll be fine. James is actually a pretty nice guy. I can take care of myself. I did it before you were around, and I can do it now."

"Yeah." Dean nodded, looking down, as though my words had upset him a little. I got up from my spot on the couch, sitting in front of him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I really appreciate that you care that much, Dean. Honestly, I do." I murmured, placing a kiss on his cheek.

A small smile flickered on Dean's lips for a moment as he looked up at me, nodding his head slowly.

* * *

In the mirror, I double checked my hair and the light coat of mascara I applied to my eyelashes before readjusting the white, V-neck tank-top I wore over the blue jeans I'd just buttoned up before slipping on a dark-brown leather jacket. I exited the bathroom, checking my phone to see a text from James a few minutes ago that told me he was on his way. I smiled down at the phone, glancing up to see Sam and Dean staring at me.

"Well? How do I look?" I asked, holding my arms out to the side.

"You look great, Tori." Sam smiled sweetly before going back to his book.

Dean nodded once. "Yeah, you do."

"Thanks, guys." I sighed as my phone buzzed again. "Well, James is here."

"Alright. Take your phone, make sure it's charged." Dean said, walking over to me. "And if I have to break and necks, let me know."

"Will do." I smiled, giving him a hug before making my way outside and over to James's silver car.

* * *

It was finally Monday and surprisingly enough, after this weekend, I was ready to get back into hunting. A strange part of me longed to get out there again. Something I never thought I'd feel.

After I'd gotten back from my date, my hair was messed up and my mascara was a little smudged, along with the fact that I was no longer wearing my jacket and my shirt looked all sorts of wrong. Dean immediately asked me if everything was okay and if I needed him to break any necks, but I told him no, because honestly, my night with James was great.

I had a lot of fun, in all aspects. But there was something nagging at me in the back of my mind, I just didn't know what.

Dean, Sam and I sat on the curb in front of the motel waiting for John. Dean kept glancing over at me, a strange look in his eyes that I'd never really seen there. Before I could ask him what was wrong, the Impala pull into the parking lot.

The three of us stood as as John stopped a few feet in front of us, getting out of the car. "How was everything?"

"Fine." I shrugged.

"What's that?" John asked Sam, placing a hand on his shoulder, looking down at his bruised eye, immediately looking up to Dean. "What happened?"

"It was just some jerk at school. Dean took care of everything, Dad." Sam said. "We're in different grades, Dean can't be with me every second."

"Really John, he took care of it." I told him. John let out a huff, looking over at me to make sure I was telling the truth before looking to Dean, nodding once, letting him know he did a good job.

Dean nodded back, trying to brush it off, but I could see that John's approval made him proud of himself. Something he should always be. He was one of the good guys. One of the really, really good guys.

After putting everything in the trunk, the four of us sat in the car, in our respective spots, leaving this town – and everyone in it – in the rear view mirror. It was then that I realized what the nagging feeling was about as I watched Dean staring out the window in front of me, bobbing his head to the music that filled the Impala.

Being with James didn't help me get over Dean at all. And my stupid little crush was still intact. Shit.

* * *

 **Remember when I said don't get your hopes up? Yeah? Well, still don't...this is supernatural, after all lol ;3  
**

 **But this chapter turned out to be extremely lighthearted, in my opinion! It's also super long, but was _extremely_ fun to write! I really like the way this turned out, and I hope you do, too!**

 **Just to be extra safe, anytime Tori thought Dean wasn't staring at her. He was ;)**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Let's talk about SPN! (** **SPOILERS** **)**

 **I mean, Mary's back...what the fuck? I'm so excited!  
Twitter: phoenixwrites79  
Instagram: phoenixwritesfanfiction**


	16. Sex and Violence

_Trying to keep control  
Pressure's taking it's toll  
Stuck in the middle zone, I just want you alone  
My guessing game is strong  
Way too real to be wrong  
Caught up in your show, yeah, at least now I know_

… _._

 _I don't need eyes to see  
I felt you touching me  
High like amphetamine, maybe you're just a dream  
That's what it means to crush  
Now that I'm waking up  
I still feel the blow, but at least now I know_

… _._

 _(Where were you, 'cause I can't see  
But I feel you watching me)  
Mistaken for love  
(Dilated, falling free  
In a modern ecstasy)  
Mistaken for love  
(In a modern ecstasy  
In a modern ecstasy)  
I'm over the show  
Yeah at least now I know_

 _It wasn't love, it wasn't love  
It was a perfect illusion  
Mistaken for love, it wasn't love  
It was a perfect illusion  
It was a perfect illusion  
Somewhere in all the confusion  
You were so perfect  
You were a- you were a perfect illusion _

**Lady Gaga – Perfect Illusion**

* * *

The sound of a loud horn honking outside woke me out of my sound sleep, my eyes meeting the ceiling when they opened. I rubbed them, letting out a small sigh as I glanced over to Dean who was lying next to me, staring over at Sam's bed.I furrowed my brow, following his gaze to see an empty spot on the bed where Sam had been.

"Yeah, that's what I'm telling you. No storms, no bad crops, nothing." Sam muttered, his voice coming from the bathroom. Dean leaned up on his elbow, while I sat up a bit, sharing a look with him as we listened into Sam's conversation. "Yeah, okay. We'll keep looking. You keep looking too, okay? Alright, talk soon."

With that, the cellphone snapped shut and Dean and I fell back onto the bed, pretending to be asleep as Sam came back out, poking my arm. "Hey, up and at 'em kids."

Dean stretched exaggeratedly, rubbing his eyes as he rolled onto his back. I peered up at Sam, yawning. "You're up early."

"What are you doing?" Dean asked.

"Nothing. I was in the can."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You want me to draw you a picture?"

"Nah, I'll pass."

"Found a job. Bedford, Iowa. Guy beat his wife's brains out with a meat tenderizer."

"Ouch." I mumbled, pushing my hair into a ponytail as I sat up again.

"And get this. Third local inside two months to gank his wife. No priors on any of 'em, all happily married."

"Sounds like _Ozzie and Harriet_." Dean commented.

"More like _The Shining_."

"Alright, well I guess we'd better have a look."

* * *

 **BEDFORD, IOWA – DAY  
Police Station **

"Why does the PD keep sending you guys?" Mr. Benson, the man accused of brutally murdering his wife mumbled from the table in the middle of the room. "I already said I don't want a lawyer."

Dean nodded, not looking very interested. "They're lining up the firing squad."

"I'm pleading guilty."

"Alright, look, you don't want us to represent you, that's fine. In fact it's probably not a bad idea, between you and me. We just wanna understand what happened, that's all."

"Mr. Benson, please." Sam muttered.

"What happened was, I killed my wife. You wanna know why? Because she made plans without asking me."

"When it happened, how did you feel? Disoriented? Out of control?"

"Like something possessed you to do it?" Dean added.

"I knew exactly what I was doing. I was crystal clear." Benson said.

"The why'd you do it?"

"I don't know. I loved her. We were happy."

Dean pulled a couple pieces of paper from a folder, placing them down on the table, tapping them. "Nine G's. That's a hefty bill."

Benson glanced down at the papers, his eyes going wide when he realized what they were. "Where did you get that?"

"Doesn't matter. We have it." I said, shooting him a hard look.

"See, certain charges, ones you don't want the missus to know...they show up under shady names like _M & C Entertainment_." Dean said.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Benson mumbled .

"Like dropping plastic at a nudie bar, for instance."

"We just wanna know the truth, Mr Benson." Sam interjected, his voice a bit more caring then mine or Dean's.

"Her name was Jasmine." Benson admitted after a few moments of silence.

"She was a stripper?"

"Dude, her name was _Jasmine_." Dean said obviously.

"I didn't mean for it to happen, I don't like to go to strip bars." Benson said. "My buddy was having a bachelor party, and there she was. She came right up to me. And...I don't know, she was just...perfect. Everything that I wanted."

"Well, you pay enough and anybody will be anything."

"It wasn't about the money. It wasn't even about the sex. It was...I don't know. I- I don't know what it was. It's hard to explain."

"And I'm guessing your wife found out?" I asked.

"No, she never had a clue."

"Then why did you kill her?"

"For Jasmine. She said we would be together forever. If- if only Vicki was..."

" _Muertos_." Dean mumbled to me under his breath. I glanced over at him sharing a grimace.

"Afterwards, me and Jasmine were supposed to meet and she never showed. I don't know where she lives, I don't know her last name, I don't even know her real first name!" Benson exclaimed, shaking his head. "I'm an idiot."

"And you didn't think to tell this to the cops?" Sam asked.

"What for? The stripper didn't do it, I did it. And I know what I deserve. The judge doesn't give me the death sentence, I'll just do it myself."

* * *

 **HOSPITAL – DAY**

As Dean and I entered the office, Dr. Roberts and Sam were smiling at each other and I almost felt as though I was interrupting a moment.

"What'd we miss?" Dean asked, looking between with two with a grin.

"Uh, these are my partners, agent Murdoch and agent Case." Sam said, gesturing to Dean and I.

"Please, agent sounds so formal." Dean smirked, holding out his hand towards the doctor. "You can call me Dean."

"I'm doctor Roberts." She replied, briskly shaking Dean's hand with little interest, turning back to Sam. "So, um, can I help you with anything else?"

I glanced over at Dean, who stood there, looking a little lost at the fact that he just faced another rejection. I placed a hand on his shoulder, patting it lightly.

"Sure, just one more thing." Sam nodded. "This chemical, this-"

"Oxytocin."

"Oxytocin. What would cause those high levels that you found?"

"Nothing that I've ever seen."

"Okay, that's it. Thanks doctor." Sam said, the two of them exchanging smiles again. I subtly pushed Dean towards the door, glancing back to see Sam lingering in the doorway, shooting another smile at the doctor. "By the way...try a greasy breakfast. Best thing for a hangover."

"Watch it buddy, I'm the only M.D. here." She replied, flirting right back.

"Sorry, baby. She's just not that into you." I told Dean, an amused look on my face as he pouted.

"She would've been." Dean argued.

"Sure."

"She would've!" Dean exclaimed quietly, looking over to Sam when he joined us back out in the hallway. "Dude, you totally cock-blocked me."

"What?" Sam asked, looking confused.

"Whoa, hey, for him to _cock-block_ you that would have to mean your _cock_ was anywhere near her. You weren't even close to getting in there." I said, watching Dean narrow his eyes at me as I smiled innocently. "Face it, babe, you've lost your touch _with the ladies_."

"No, I haven't." Dean said, his pout slipping back into place.

"What are you, four?"

"No." Dean mumbled petulantly.

"Oh, for the love of-" I sighed, placing a hand on his chest. "I was wrong, she totally wants you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Her and every other woman you come in contact with. Better?"

"A little." Dean said, a small smile creeping on his lips, the playfulness shining in his eyes. "Tell me more about how every women I meet wants me."

I forced out a laugh, allowing all expression to slip from my face as I stopped. "No."

"What is wrong with you two?" Sam asked, looking between Dean and I with raised eyebrows.

"Huh?"

"Nothing. So Whylie and Snyder totally fessed up, huh?"

"One emptied his IRA, the other, his kids' college fund, all on the same day." Dean explained as we headed out of the building.

"Live nude girls?"

"Yup." I nodded. "A club called _The Honey Wagon_."

"These guys have affairs too, with a stripper also known as _Jasmine_?"

"Yes and no. This is where it gets interesting." Dean said. "Each guy hooked up with a different chick. Jasmine, Aurora and Ariel."

"So, what? These girls are all connected somehow?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow. "Other than using names of _Disney_ princesses?"

Dean paused, glancing over at his brother. "Dude."

"What?"

"Why-"

"Dean, everybody knows the princesses. Even you." I said, glancing up at him with a grin.

"Yeah, well..." Dean paused. Not finding anything to say, he looked away from me. "Anyway, they all described their stripper in the same way, the exact same way. Perfect, and everything that they wanted."

"Perfect until dream Barbie convinced them to murder their wives."

"You know, it's almost like they were under some kinda love spell." Sam muttered as we made our way to the Impala. "Which caused them to become totally psychotic."

"Absolutely." Dean nodded.

"You seem pretty cheery."

"Strippers, Sammy. Strippers. We're on an actual case involving strippers. Finally."

"Just wait for the day we work a case involving male strippers." I mumbled.

Dean glanced over at me, his eyes hard as he shook his head. "Never gonna happen."

"Oh, I'll make it happen." I grinned, slipping into the backseat of the Impala.

* * *

 **THE HONEY WAGON – DAY**

The Impala pulled up in front of a run down looking building with blacked out tinted windows, light up signs flickering on them.

"Okay, I'm going in." Dean said, getting out of the Impala.

"Hey, try not to get distracted by all the naked women, okay?" I called as Dean waved me off, flashing his badge to one of the men at the door, getting inside easily. I leaned on the top of the front seat, glancing over to Sam, who stared down at his phone. "So, Dr. Roberts, huh?"

"What about her?" Sam asked, looking back at me innocently.

"You like her."

"Oh, uh, no."

"You know, Sam, it's not a bad thing to have feelings for people. I mean, you can't completely cut yourself off. Especially after...Ruby." I said, cringing at the thought.

"Yeah, let's not talk about that, okay?"

"Fine with me." I shrugged. "I'm just saying..."

"Please don't try to pimp me out again."

"What?"

"You know what you and Dean do when you think I like someone. You did the same thing with Sarah and...Madison."

"We just want you to relax sometimes, Sam. Have some fun, that's all. You're way too stressed all the time, it's too much for you to take." I said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "We should call Bobby."

"What for?"

"See if he can figure out what we're dealing with here."

"Alright."

* * *

Not too long after I got off the phone with Bobby, Dean exited the bar, making his way over to the Impala, getting into the driver seat.

"Let me see your wallet." I said.

"Why?" Dean asked, reaching in his pocket anyway.

"I wanna see if you have any cash left."

"Oh, come on." Dean huffed, rolling his eyes as he pulled his hand out.

"What'd you find out?"

"Nothing."

"I just talked to Bobby and we officially have a theory."

"What's that?"

"We're dealing with a siren."

"Like Greek myth siren, the Odessy?" Dean asked, pursing his lips as Sam's shocked look. "Hey, I read!"

"But the siren's not actually a myth, it's more of a beautiful creature that preys on men, enticing them with their siren song." Sam said.

"Let me guess, _Welcome to the Jungle_?" Dean asked, a twinkle in his eye as he glanced back to me. "No, no. _Warrant_ 's _Cherry Pie_."

I smiled at him, raising my eyebrow suggestively. Sam cleared his throat, shaking his head at us. "Their song is more of a metaphor. Like- like their call, their allure, you know?"

"So they shake their thing and the guys zombie out."

"Basically." I nodded. "Sirens lived on islands. Sailors would chase them, completely ignoring the rocky shores...and, well, you know the rest."

"Sounds like Adam and his buddies."

"If you were a siren in oh-nine, looking to ruin a bunch of morons, where would you set up?"

"So whatever floats the guy's boat, that's what they look like?"

"Sirens can read minds. They see what you want most and then they can kinda, like, cloak themselves. You know, like an illusion."

"So it could all be the same chick? Morphing into different dream girls?"

"Most likely is. Sirens are usually pretty solitary."

"How do we kill it?"

"Bobby's working on it."

"Well, how the hell are we gonna find it?"

"Something tells me this will have to be an inside job." I mumbled.

"Oh, yeah." Dean grinned. "Looks like we'll just have to hang around here and wait."

"Not what I meant."

"What did you mean?"

"Looks like _I'm_ gonna have to apply for a job."

"Wait, what? Fuck no." Dean spat. "You're not becoming a stripper just to save some dick-bags from their own stupidity."

I raised an eyebrow at him, an amused look in my eyes as Sam chuckled. "You do realize you might fall under that category, don't you?"

"Whatever, man." Dean told Sam, looking back to me. "You're not doing it."

"Dean, I don't have to be a stripper. I mean, I could be a waitress or something." I shrugged.

"No-"

"The faster we find the thing, the faster we'll be done with this."

"I have a hard enough time dealing with assholes checking you out while you're fully clothed, what do you think is gonna happen when you're wearing next to nothing?"

"Is that gonna make you jealous?" I asked, biting my lip.

"Uh, yeah! And pissed!"

"Okay." I nodded, a small grin on my face as I pulled my stockings off, getting out of the Impala.

"What are you doing?" Dean asked, following me out, watching as I hiked up my skirt, unbuttoning my blouse a bit. "Tori-"

"Dean, I'll be fine." I said, moving around the front of the car, placing kiss on his lips before turning and heading into the building.

* * *

A little while later, I'd successfully gotten the manager to give me a job as a waitress, which honestly wasn't too difficult considering the guy was staring at my boobs the whole time. I probably could've gotten him to do damn near anything.

Back outside, Dean was leaning against the hood of the Impala, his legs and arms crossed as he stared at the building with disgust. Sam stayed seated in the passenger seat, staring over at his brother with an amused look.

"Hey." I called, stopping in front of Dean.

"Well?" He asked.

"I start tonight."

"Goddammit."

"Wait, really?" Sam asked, peaking his head out of the open window, concern etched into his features.

"Yeah."

"Fuck."

"Oh, not you too."

"Tori, I really don't like the idea of you being in there like that."

"See, he doesn't like it either." Dean said. "That's two against one, you're not doing it."

"You now, the more you tell me not to do something, that just makes me want to do it even more." I said, raising a challenging eyebrow at him. "Dean, I'm gonna be fine. Nothing's gonna happen."

* * *

 **MOTEL – DAY**

Back at the motel, I had gone through some older clothes of mine, pulling out a white tank top, a red and white plaid shirt and a denim skirt, about to put them on while Sam was gone, off checking out another murder that occurred today, one that seemed a lot like the other four. From my spot near the table, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dean lying on the bed, eying Sam's phone, which he had left on the nightstand. Eventually, Dean grabbed it, staring to go through it.

While he was busy staring at it, I pulled my pants off, sliding on the skirt along with the thin, low-cut, white, v-neck tank top and plaid shirt that I tied in a knot underneath my chest. I headed over to the mirror, making sure everything looked the way I wanted it to. I couldn't help but grin appreciatively at my reflection a little.

The tank top hugged my body, the tops of my breasts peaking out of the neckline, with a fair amount of cleavage showing. All just enough, but not too much. And the skirt that I used to wear quite often back when I was a teenager now barely covered the bottom of my butt.

Honestly, I looked fucking hot.

"Oh, no." I heard Dean mumble behind me, turning around to see him staring at me with wide eyes. "You're not wearing that tonight."

"What? It's not that bad."

"Tori, I can practically see through you."

"Oh, come on."

" _Come on_? The bottom of your ass is sticking out of that skirt."

"Like you mind."

"Of course I don't." Dean smirked, a small tinge of anger taking over his expression. "What I do mind is a bunch of dicks getting to see you like this."

"Well, these are the sacrifices we have to make for the greater good." I muttered dryly, making my way over to him as he leaned against the headboard. I smiled, running a hand up his thigh. "Hey, maybe later I could take it off for you. Nice and slow."

"Oh, yeah?" Dean asked, his eyes filling with lust. I smiled down at him, knowing just what to do to drive him crazy.

"... _sí_." I murmured watching him as he let out a low moan, his eyelids fluttering shut.

Oh, Dean and his little Spanish kink.

"Say more."

"I can't."

"Why?"

"Because then we'll start having sex and Sam is probably gonna be back soon."

"But Cherry Pie-"

"No."

"Please?"

"Dean..."

Dean placed his hands on my hips, pulling me closer so that I could feel his bulge, a smile in his voice. "Come on, baby girl...look what you do to me."

A quiet moan slipped from my lips as I felt him, I glanced back, shooting him a small smile. "Don't. You know I can't say no to you."

"Mmm, I know." Dean smirked, leaning forward, placing kisses on my neck.

"Hey, uh, what were you doing on Sam's phone?" I asked, trying to distract myself from Dean's kisses, because if I didn't there was no way in hell I was going to be able to keep saying no for much longer.

And while I was most definitely in the mood for a quickie, Sam could be back at any time and didn't totally feel like having us get caught naked by him...not that it hasn't happened before. And we really didn't know when he would be back considering he'd left his phone. He could be gone another hour...

So, why am I saying no again?

Just as I was about to give in and turn to kiss him, Sam's phone rang, a number coming up that I didn't recognize.

"Who's that?" I asked.

"Who cares?" Dean mumbled against my skin, continuing to kiss down my neck.

As I stared at the phone, I remember that weird call Sam was on this morning. My curiosity got the better of me, so I grabbed the phone, flipping it open, accepting the call.

" _Hey, Sam."_ My blood nearly boiled as I heard Ruby's voice through the speaker. Dean immediately froze, the both of us looking down at the phone in shock. " _Sam?... You there...?_ "

I quickly hung up up and tossing it back on the nightstand as Dean threw himself back with a huff. "Well, that's a fucking mood kill."

"He's still talking to her?" I asked, shocked. "I thought- I thought he said he stopped."

"Yeah, I guess he fucking lied."

Just then, Sam opened the door, coming back into the room. I glanced up at him, seeing his eyes widen when he saw me. "Oh, whoa, am I interrupting something…?"

"No." I snapped, my voice coming out a little more harsh that I intended.

Sam was still talking to that bitch? How could he?

Dean placed a hand on my lower back, trying to relax me even though he was upset, too. I pulled in a deep breath, watching Sam pull his jacket off, throwing it over one of the chairs. "Lenny Bristol was definitely another siren vic."

"You get in to see him?" Dean asked.

"Yup. He bought home a stripper named Belle. Couple hours later, he offed his mother. Belle, of course, went MIA."

"Wait, his mother?" I asked. "He killed his mom?"

"The woman he was closest to."

"Oh, that's disturbing." I commented with a grimace. Sam grabbed my phone from the table as it started ringing, tossing it to me. I barely glanced down at the screen, answering it.

" _Vic?_ "

"Oh, hey Bobby."

" _Find her yet?_ "

"No, not yet. Still trying though. Let me put you on speaker." I said, pulling the phone away from my ear, pressing the speaker button. "Did you find anything?"

" _Well, some lore from a dusty Greek poem. Shockingly, it's a little vague. It says you need a bronze dagger, covered in the blood of a sailor under the spell of the song."_

"What the hell does that mean?" Dean asked.

" _You got me. We're dealing with three thousand years of the telephone game here._ "

"Best guess?" Sam asked.

" _Well, the siren's spell ain't got nothing to do with any song. It's most likely some kind of toxin or venom. Something she gets in the vic's blood._ "

"And makes them go all _Manchurian Candidate_. What do you think, she infects the men during sex?"

" _Maybe._ "

"Supernatural STD." Dean mumbled.

" _Well, however it happens, once it's done the siren's gotta watch her back. She gets a dose of her own medicine..._ "

I nodded. "It kills her."

" _Like a snake getting iced by it's own venom._ "

"So we just gotta find a way to juice one of the _OJ_ 's in jail?" Dean asked.

" _Not that easy. None of those guys are under the spell anymore. Haven't got a clue where you're going to get the blood you need._ "

"I think I might have an idea." Sam said.

" _Be careful. These things are tricky bitches. Wrap you up in knots before you know what hit you._ "

"What are some signs to, you know, spot them?" I asked.

" _Well, they'll have men falling all over_ them."

"Yeah, that won't be hard to find in a strip joint." I mumbled sarcastically.

" _What?_ "

"Uh, nothing. Thanks, Bobby." I said, hanging up, glancing up to Sam as he slipped his jacket back on. "So, where are you gonna go to find the blood?"

"Dr. Roberts." Sam replied.

"Great you guys can drop me off at the bar before you head over there." I said, standing up. Dean let out a sigh, but didn't argue with me anymore, getting up to slip his jacket on as we headed out.

* * *

 **THE HONEY WAGON – NIGHT**

The Impala pulled up in front of the club, which was now much more packed than before. I took a deep breath, readying myself for whatever was in there.

"Tor, you don't have to do this." Dean said. "We'll find the siren. You don't need to do this for all those scumbags."

"I'm not. I'm doing this for their poor wives." I said, pausing a moment. "And that one guys Mom."

"If any of those assholes touch you, you break their fucking necks."

"Obviously." I nodded, placing a kiss on his lips, shooting him a smile as I exited the Impala, heading into the building.

As soon as I entered, I spotted one of the other waitresses that I'd seen here earlier in the day heading over to a table, placing a few drinks down on it. Once she saw me, she came over, a smile on her face. "Hey!"

"Oh, hey."

"You're Sherry, right?"

"Yeah."

"I'm Crystal." She smiled. "Listen, when I first started here, I was kind of thrown to the sharks. No one really showed me around, and I don't want that to happen to you."

"Oh, uh, okay."

"So if you want, I'll help you out night."

"Yeah. Thanks."

"No problem, come on." She said. I nodded, following her behind the bar. "So, what made you get a job here?"

"Well, you know, I just needed the work." I shrugged, looking around at the different women walking around, trying to see if I spotted anyone of them being...abnormally alluring.

It was then that I realized how dumb this plan actually was.

* * *

 **HOSPITAL – NIGHT  
** DPOV

The entire drive over to the hospital, I tried to think of anything to keep my mind of what could be happening in that bar. I knew Tori could handle herself, that wasn't something I was worried about...but still, I worried.

After passing through the hospital with ease, we made our way to Dr. Robert's office, finding her sorting through some papers at her desk.

"Dr. Roberts." Sam called at the doorway.

"Agent Stiles. Can't stay away, huh?" She asked playfully.

"Actually, uh, we're here on business. About the blood samples...the ones with the high...you know...oxytocin?"

"You still have them?" I asked, getting to the point much faster than Sam at the speed he was going.

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Good, we need them."

"What for?"

"Excuse me, Dr. Roberts?" A blonde man called, walking into the office.

"Yeah?"

"Excuse me, we're a little busy here, buddy." I said, flashing my badge at him.

"Yeah, so am I, _pal_." He replied, showing his own badge.

"Doctor, can you give us a sec, please?" Sam asked.

"Sure." Dr. Robert's nodded as the three of us made our way back out into the hallway.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Nick Munroe." He replied. "What's yours?"

"I'm special agent Sam Stiles, this is my partner Dean Murdoch." Sam said. "What office are you from?"

"Omaha, violent crimes unit. My SAC sent me down here to see about the murders. You?"

"D.C. our assistant director assigned us."

"Oh, which AD?" Nick asked.

"Mike Kaiser." Sam said.

"What are your badge numbers?"

I scoffed. "You're kidding, right?"

"I'm just following protocol."

"Look man, whatever." Sam said, handing him a card. "Just call our AD, he'll sort things out."

"Alright." Nick said, moving away a few feet, dialing the number. "Yes, sir. Hello. It's Agent Nick Munroe. I'm calling about two of your men. Stiles and Murdoch? Uh, it seems that they've been put on my case by mistake?" I glanced up at Sam, him and I sharing a look as Bobby replied.

"No, sir. I'm not questioning-" Nick stopped, coming back over to us a few moments later. "I'm sorry, guys."

I nodded. "Just don't let it happen again."

"Where are you at with this?"

"Where are _you_ at with this?"

"Well, I was just about to run the, uh, perps' bloodwork.

"I already checked, dead end." Sam said.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"But get this. I feel like I found something that connects all the murderers."

"Really?"

Nick nodded. "They were all banging strippers...from the same club."

"You don't say." I said sarcastically.

"What do you say we go down there and check it out?"

"Well, here's the thing, Nick. See, we're kinda lone wolves-"

"You know what, that sounds like an excellent idea. Just- just give me a second with my partner and we'll, uh...one sec." Sam said, nodding for me to follow him down the hall. "Dude, you gotta stay with him."

"What?"

"Keep him out of the way."

"Why me?"

"'Cause I gotta get the blood samples."

"What the hell am I supposed to do with him?"

"Just take him to the strip club...keep an eye out for the siren. Come on, Dean, just- I mean, you'll get to check up on Tori. Between her and the strippers, you'll forget he's even there!"

"Fine. But I'm not doing this to check on Tori...and the strippers." I said, gaining a raised eyebrow from Sam. "What?"

* * *

"Alright, we're taking my ride, no complaining about the tunes." I told Nick as we headed over to the Impala.

"No way." Nick practically gasped. "You drive an Impala?"

"Yeah."

"It's a sixty-seven, right? It's a 327 four barrel."

"Yeah, actually." I nodded, a little taken back.

"It's a thing of beauty."

Pride ran though me as he looked at the car in astonishment. "Thanks."

"How the hell did you talk the Bureau into letting you drive your own wheels?"

"Well, you know, they let me do what I want over there." I shrugged, getting into the driver seat.

"Nice."

* * *

 **THE HONEY WAGON – NIGHT  
** TPOV

Time seemed to drag by in this place, and even though it felt like hours had passed, every time I looked at the clock, I was disappointed to find that only minutes had gone by. Thankfully, I hadn't come in contact with anyone trying to grab at me, like Crystal said she had quite a few times before.

God knows what would happen to whatever guy decided to try and do that to me. Especially if Dean found out.

After talking to Crystal for a while, I'd found out that she was twenty-two, really just a kid who had a hard time in life, trying to put herself through school. I really felt for her, wishing there was a way I could help her out of this mess.

But at the same time, I couldn't completely let me guard down. What if she was the siren?

Not too long later, a particularly loud and rude customer was escorted out of the building, I was wiping down his table, glancing up at the door to see Dean enter with another man. Dean's eyes scanned the room until they landed on me, a small smile crossing his face as he threw me a wink.

"You know him?" Crystal asked, nodding to Dean as he made his way over. Something I'd noticed was that the girls were pretty protective of each other here, though they kind of had to be.

"Oh, uh, yeah." I replied.

"Alright. Let me know if you need help." Crystal said, making her way over to another table.

"Thanks."

"Hey there." Dean smiled.

"Hi." I smiled back, eying the other man for a moment before looking back to Dean in question. He just shrugged, sitting down. "What can I get you guys?"

"Just a couple beers."

"Alright." I nodded, going to get the two beers from the bar before heading back over to the table.

"Anybody ever tell you that you have beautiful eyes?" Dean asked, looking up at me with a smirk.

"Anybody every tell you that's a cheesy pick-up line?" I retorted, placing the bottles down.

Dean chuckled, taking a sip of his beer as I winked at him, making my way back over to the bar, which wasn't too far away from their table. The guy Dean was with looked between him and I, leaning over towards Dean. "So, you just get to flirt with girls on the job?"

"Hey, can't hurt to have a little fun, huh?"

"She is pretty hot." The man shrugged, glancing back at me. The smile immediately dropped from Dean's face, something that didn't go unnoticed by the blonde in front of him. "Hey, man I mean, that's all yours."

"Yeah." Dean nodded, shooting him a hard look as he took a swig of his beer.

* * *

A little more time had gone by with Dean watching me closely, seemingly keeping his eyes on me no matter where I went in the room. After bringing some drinks to another table, I headed back over to the bar, listening into their conversation.

" _Nobody's Fault But Mine._ " Dean said.

" _Zeppelin_ recorded it in seventy-five. It was a cover of a _Blind Willie Johnson_ tune." The man replied.

"Nice."

" _You Shook Me_."

"Sixty-nine, debut album, written by _Willie Dixon_."

"And...?"

"And, what?" Dean asked.

"Written by Willie Dixon _and_ J.B. Lenoir."

"Dude." Dean muttered, looking at the man with a small smile. "You know, for a fed, you're not a total dick."

"Aren't we both feds?"

"Yeah, I know, I just...you know, not a lot of feds are as cool as us, huh?" Dean smiled again, slapping the man on the shoulder before standing to his feet. "I'm gonna go get some more drinks."

"Sure thing."

Pulling out a rag, I started wiping down the bar as Dean walked up, placing the empty bottles there. "Hello, beautiful."

I glanced around, making sure everyone was out of earshot, leaning across the bar slightly. "Dean, who the hell is that guy?"

"Nick Munroe. He's an FBI agent."

"Like real FBI?" I asked quietly, my eyes going wide.

"Yeah. But Tori, he's awesome. I mean, holy shit."

"Since when do you find any figure of authority awesome?"

"I know, right?"

"Okay, Dean, how is any of this gonna help us find the siren? Especially now that a _real_ fed is involved?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Dean-"

"Really, don't."

"Alright." I sighed, placing two more beers on the bar. "There."

"Thanks." Dean smiled, making his way back over to the table, all the while _Nick_ watched him expectantly.

Needless to say, the way he was acting made me uncomfortable, and the more I watched him interact with Dean, the more suspicious I got.

* * *

DPOV

"So what the hell with this case, man?" Nick asked after I sat back down. "How does a girl talk four different johns into murder?"

"It's a crazy world."

"I guess. Hey, can I level with you?"

"Sure."

"I found something kinda weird."

"Well, you have bought your weird to the right spot. Lay it on me."

"I went to the crime scene this morning. Saw them bagging this up." Nick said, reaching into his jacket pocket, pulling out a clear plastic bag full of flower petals. "So I went back, uh, through all the files. It turns out a flower just like that was found at every crime scene."

"Like it was left on purpose?" I asked, taking the bag from him.

"You know, sometimes a serial killer will leave an object behind, like a calling card. But with this case? Tell you the truth, I got no idea what's going on."

Suddenly, I dawned on me and I knew where I'd seen these petals before.

"I think I might. I've seen a flower like this before." I said, handing him the bag back.

"Where?"

"I'll tell you in the car, do me a favor and wait outside?"

"Sure." Nick nodded, making his way out. I pushed away from the table, moving through the bar until I found Tori, silently telling her I needed to speak to her.

* * *

TPOV

After Dean got my attention, I followed him over to one of the more quiet corners of the bar, looking up at him with a curious expression. "What happened?"

"Nick found something." Dean replied.

"What?"

"The siren, it's Dr. Roberts."

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Nick kind of figured it out."

"Really." I mumbled, not buying it. "How?"

"Flower petals. They're like a calling card. From the same flower in Dr. Roberts' office."

"Why would a siren leave a _calling card_?" I asked. "They don't want to be found, they don't want to be recognized for their crimes. They're not normal serial killers, Dean."

"I know that, but this is the only lead we've got."

"...okay." I sighed. "Well, let's go then."

"No, don't worry about it."

"What do you mean?"

"Nick and I have got it."

"I'm sorry, you and _Nick?_ The non-hunter, legit FBI agent?" I asked, my eyes going wide.

"Well, I'm not gonna let him see anything."

"Dean-"

"Tori, it's fine."

"No, it's not, Dean-"

"Oh." Dean reached into his pocket, fishing his phone out. "That's him."

" _Who, Nick_? You gave him your number?"

"Yeah, I'm coming." Dean replied to Nick, ignoring me.

"Dean-"

"See you later." Dean smiled, placing a quick kiss on my lips before leaving my sight, getting lost in the large crowd that had gathered in the building.

Something was very wrong here. Very, very wrong.

* * *

DPOV

Before I headed out to Nick, I slipped into one of the bathrooms, dialing Sam's number a few times before he actually answered.

" _Hello?_ "

"Sam! Where the hell have you been?"

" _With Cara._ "

"Oh, it's Cara now?" I asked. "And you're not picking up your phone?"

" _We were trying to find the blood samples, someone stole them._ "

"Yeah, I bet." I snapped.

" _What's that supposed to mean?_ " Sam asked.

"Nick found flower petals at the crime scenes. Hyacinths."

" _So?_ "

"Hyacinths? Mediterranean. From the island where the whole fucking siren myth started in the first place."

" _Okay._ "

"Sam, Cara had hyacinth flowers!"

" _You think Cara's the siren?_ "

"Well, I did a little checking up on her. She's only been in town for two months."

" _Yeah. And?_ "

"And she has an ex-husband. A dead ex-husband, Carl Roberts. Dropped like a stone, no warning. Supposedly a heart attack."

" _Well, maybe it was a heart attack._ " Sam said, probably shrugging his stupid shoulders.

I rolled my eyes, letting out a breath. "You're kidding me."

" _Look, I just don't think it's her._ "

"And what makes you so sure?"

" _I don't know, a hunch._ "

"A hunch? I'm giving you cold hard facts here and you're giving me a hunch?" I asked, a thought clicking in my mind. "Did you fuck her?"

". _..no._ " Sam replied timidly.

"Holy shit. You did." I huffed. "Middle of _Basic Instinct_ and you bang _Sharon Stone_? Sam, you could be under her spell right now!"

"Dude, I'm not under her spell."

"Unbelievable, man. I just don't get it."

" _What?_ "

"Nothing."

" _No. Say it._ "

"No, It's just...first it's Madison, and then Ruby, and now Cara. It's like... what is with you and banging monsters?"

" _Dean, I'm telling you, it's not Cara. I feel fine._ "

"I'll bet you do."

" _You don't trust me?_ "

"No. Because this could be the siren talking."

" _Look, tell me where you are, I'll come meet you and we'll figure things out._ "

"No."

" _Are you serious?_ "

"I wish I weren't. I gotta handle this, Sam. By myself." I said, hanging up.

* * *

TPOV 

Once Dean had gone, I headed back over to the bar, finding Crystal standing there. She looked up, noticing the worried look on my face. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. I have to go."

"Your shifts not over though."

"I know, I just- I have to leave."

"Okay." Crystal said. "Guess I won't be seeing you again, huh?"

"Sorry."

"It's cool."

"Hey, I know it sucks right now, but you're doing the right thing, putting yourself through school and stuff. You'll get out of here one day." I said, a small smile on my face.

"Thanks." Crystal smiled back. "That's nice to hear."

"No problem." I smiled, heading outside.

With the Impala nowhere in sight, I guess it was time for me to brush up on my hotwiring skills. I let out a small breath of air, walking down the parking lot a ways to one of the cars at the end dialing Bobby's number as I went.

* * *

DPOV 

After explaining some of the situation to Nick, leaving out all the siren parts, we were sitting in front of a bar, watching as Cara got out of a taxi, making her way inside.

"Should we follow her in?"

"No, no. I don't wanna tip her off. Let's just wait and see who she comes out with." I told him.

"So you think, what? She's drugging these guys?"

"Pretty much."

"Uh-huh..."

"Listen, I know how it sounds."

"You sure about that? 'Cause it sounds like crazy on toast. All these different strippers, they're magically the same girl? But then they're not strippers at all, it's _Dr. Quinn_."

"It's kinda hard to explain, but I have my reasons and they're good ones, so you're just gonna have to trust me on them."

"Yeah, okay I guess." Nick sighed.

I was a bit taken a-back by that, letting out a relieved breath. "Thank you. That's actually nice to hear."

"So let's say she is drugging her vics. How's she pulling that off?" Nick asked, glancing over at me as I took a swig from my flask, handing it to Nick to take a drink.

"She could be injecting them, you know, or passing the toxin through physical contact." I shrugged, drinking from the flask again.

"Or it could be her saliva. You really should have wiped the lip of that thing before you drank from it, Dean." Nick said. Suddenly, everything shifted around me, a buzzing in my ears started as I looked over to him, everything else hazy. "I should be your little brother. Sam, you can't trust him. Not like you can trust me. In fact, I really feel like you should get him out of the way, so we can be brothers. Forever."

"Yeah." I nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

* * *

 **MOTEL – NIGHT**

The longer we waited for Sam, the more sure I was that this was the right thing to do. Nick was right. I couldn't trust Sam. Not now, not ever. He never gave me a reason to, and I was ready to put and end to that. The click of the doorknob alerted me to his presence and I quickly hid behind the door as he opened it, getting distracted by Nick long enough for me to jump at him.

"Dean?" Sam called, his eyes going wide as I pushed him against the wall, my knife to his throat. Sam swallowed hard, glancing over to Nick. "I gotta tell you, you're one butt ugly stripper."

"Well, maybe. But I got exactly what I wanted. I got Dean."

"Dean, come on man, this isn't you. You can fight this. Let me go." Sam muttered, looking down at me.

"Why don't you cut him? Just a little, on his neck right there." Nick said. As soon as the words left Nick's mouth, I moved the knife, slashing Sam across the neck, creating a small wound. "Dean's all mine."

"You poisoned him."

"No. I gave him what he needed. And it wasn't some bitch in a G-string. It was you. A little brother that looked up to him, that he could trust. And now he loves me. He'd do anything for me. And I gotta tell you, Sam, that kind of devotion? I mean, watching someone kill for you? It's the best feeling in the world."

"Is that why you're slutting all over town?"

"Eh, I get bored, like we all do. And I wanna fall in love again. And again...and again."

"I'll tell you what. I have fought some nasty sons of bitches, but you are one needy pathetic loser."

"You won't feel that way in a minute." Nick said, grabbing Sam's cheeks, squirting liquid into his mouth from a bottle. "So I know you two have a lot you wanna get off your chests. So why don't you discuss it? And whoever survives can be with me forever."

"Well, I don't know when it happened. Maybe when I was in hell. Maybe when I was staring right at you. But the Sam I knew, he's gone." I said.

"That so?" Sam asked challengingly.

"And it's not the demon blood or the psychic shit. It's the little stuff. The lies. The secrets."

"Oh, yeah? What secrets?"

"The phone calls to Ruby for one."

"So I need your say-so to make a phone call?"

"That's the point. You're hiding things from me. What else aren't you telling me?"

"None of your business."

"See what I mean? We used to be in this together. We used to have each other's backs."

* * *

TPOV 

After getting in contact with Bobby, he'd told me exactly what I needed to do if I did happen to find the siren tonight, though I hated the idea of having to do it, it was the only way to kill the thing. And I had a pretty good feeling I knew exactly who the siren was, and where to find them.

It only helped further my suspicious when Bobby told me that the Nick Munroe Dean had told him about didn't work for the feds. The guy didn't even exist.

Once I retrieved a brass blade, I made my way to the room and the closer I got, the more I could hear the boys voices grow louder and louder, a slightly fearful feeling running through me at the venom in them.

"You know why I didn't tell you about Ruby and how we're hunting down Lilith?" Sam asked. "Because you're too weak to go after her, Dean. You're holding me back. I'm a better hunter than you are. Stronger, smarter. I can take out demons you're too scared to go near."

"That's bullshit." Dean spat.

"You're too busy sitting around feeling sorry for yourself. Whining about all the souls you tortured in hell. Boohoo."

There was a bunch of commotion and loud banging coming from inside the room, when suddenly both boys went fly through the door, landing hard on the hallway floor. Dean leaned upright, punching Sam.

"Do it. Do it for me, Dean." Nick said.

"Tell me again how weak I am, Sam. Huh? How I hold you back?!" Dean shouted, punching Sam hard in the face, causing him to start drifting in and out.

"Dean!" I called, gaining his attention before he punched Sam again. The whole scene seemed to stop in front of me as I watched Dean, watching me.

"Dean, listen to me." Nick said, looking a little surprised at Dean's reaction.

"Baby, don't need to listen to him."

"You know what, Dean? I think you should take care of her first. I mean, if you have me, what do you need her for?"

"What?" I asked, my eyes going slightly wide. "Dean, you do get what that means, don't you?"

Dean looked up to Nick, nodding as he stood to his feet. "...yeah."

"Dean, stop."

"Just listen to me, Dean." Nick murmured as Dean started stalking towards me.

"Dean, stop." I said, holding my hand out in front of me as I backed up. "Dean."

"You don't need her, Dean."

"Why don't you just shut up you fucking bastard!?" I exclaimed, still moving backwards as Dean advanced on me. "Dean, baby, come on."

"She doesn't love you, Dean. She's been lying to you."

A heartbreaking look crossed Dean's face as he stared into my eyes, anger flashing in his. I shook my head, staring into his eyes. "Dean, that's not true."

Suddenly, my back hit the wall and in an instant, Dean's hand was around my throat, starting to tighten his grip. Nick smiled, walking behind him. "That's it, Dean."

"Dean, baby, come on." I muttered, holding onto his arm with one hand, subtly reaching for the blade in my back pocket with the other, struggling slightly as Dean held me tighter to the wall. I kept my eyes trained on Dean's, watching him. "Baby, listen to me. This isn't you. You can fight this, okay? I love you. I love you so much, baby, okay? I love you."

A look of recognition crossed Dean's eyes and his started to release his grip on my throat, blinking rapidly. Before Nick got another chance to say anything else, I pulled up the bronze dagger, stabbing Dean in the side of the thigh with it, he let out a cry, stumbling backwards slightly. As he did so, I ducked past him, grabbing a shocked Nick by the jacket, plunging the knife in his chest, twisting it before letting him drop to the ground, dead.

* * *

Once we'd gotten rid of the siren's body, the boys and I headed back over to the Impala that was parked in front of the large clearing we were just in.

Sam glanced to the ground, looking up at me. "You know, Tori, if you didn't come when you did-"

"Yeah, I know." I nodded, looking over to Dean. "How's your leg?"

"Fine." Dean replied. "You had to stab me, huh?"

"I didn't want to, but the bronze dagger had to be covered in a _sailors_ blood while he was _under the spell_. And since Sam was out, well, you were my sailor."

"Lucky me." Dean grumbled. I shot him a small smile, slipping my arm through his, hugging it to me.

"I think one of the more prominent questions that comes to my mind about all of this is, in order for the siren to get a hold of you..." I trailed off. "You know."

"Whoa, hey, no."

"No?"

"No."

"Then how'd it happen?"

"It was in his spit."

"So you made out with him?"

"No!"

"He had it in a bottle, squirted it in my mouth." Sam said. "I don't know about Dean, that happened before I got there."

"Nothing happened!" Dean exclaimed. "I drank from the flask after him, I was stupid and didn't think about it."

"Okay, okay." I smiled at him, letting him know I was teasing...for the most part, anyway.

Dean nodded, a serious look crossing his face as he glanced over at my neck for the millionth time in the last half hour, placing a gentle hand there to move my hair back so he could inspect it again. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, Dean. It's okay." I said, holding onto his wrist. "I love you."

"Okay. I know." Dean muttered with a small smile, the look in his eyes letting me know that he truly did believe me.

"Good." I nodded, keeping my hand in his as he let it drop back to his side.

"You gonna say goodbye to Cara?" Dean asked his brother.

Sam shrugged. "Nah, not interested."

"Really? Why not?"

"What's the point?"

"Well, look at you." Dean grinned. "Love 'em and leave 'em."

"Wait, you had sex with her?" I asked.

"Yeah." Sam mumbled. A small moment of silence passed before Sam looked up at his brother, a sad look in his eyes. "Dean, look, you know I didn't mean the things I said back there, right? That it was just the siren's spell talking?"

"Of course, me too." Dean nodded, both boys looking down to the ground.

"Okay. So...we're good?"

"Yeah, we're good." Dean replied. I watched boys as they both turned away from each other, getting into the driver and passenger side of the Impala.

Just from the small amount that I heard, what they'd said to each other wasn't pretty. And while I'm sure it was all stemming from the siren, it still stung. A few seconds passed as I stood there, watching them completely avoiding eye contact with each other inside the car.

That single gesture told me right away...things weren't _good_.

* * *

 **Kinda felt like one of those asshole narrators at the end there.**

" **Everything is okay."**

 **Everything was not okay.**

 **So, here we go with my apology for not posting in forever! Sorry! Life's a bitch that likes to get in the way of fun things lol  
I'm gonna try and post more regularly, because believe it or not, we're almost done with Losing My Religion. There are only eight (give or take, depending on if I do extras) chapters left! **

**I hope you guys like this chapter, and thanks for reading! Don't forget to review or send me a private message! I love them both :)**

 **Twitter: phoenixwrites79  
Instagram: phoenixwritesfanfiction (posted a bunch of manips on there recently, check them out if you want!) **


	17. Death Takes a Holiday

_I've got a bad disease  
From my brain is where I bleed  
Insanity it seems  
It's got me by my soul to squeeze  
Where's all the love for me?  
With all the dying trees, I scream  
The angels in my dreams  
They turn to demons of greed  
That's me_

…

 _Oh, so polite, indeed  
Well I've got everything I need  
Oh, make my days of greed  
And take away my self-destruction  
…_

 _I could not forget  
But I will not endeavor simple pleasures aren't as special  
But I wont regret it, never_

 _Where I go I just don't know  
I've got to got to gotta take it slow  
When I find my piece of mind  
I'm gonna give ya some of my good time  
Where I go I just don't know  
I might end up somewhere in Mexico  
When I find my piece of mind  
I'm gonna keep it for the end of time_

 _ **Red Hot Chili Peppers – Soul To Squeeze**_

* * *

Inside an older diner, Sam sat a few rows down at our booth, his laptop in front of him, typing away. Both he and Dean were trying desperately to act normal, even though I could tell what happened back in Iowa was tearing them apart, more Dean than Sam. A lot more Dean than Sam.

And no matter how many times I tried, he would never talk to me. Ever. But that didn't stop me from trying.

"How are you doing?" I asked, leaning against the front of the jukebox that Dean was tapping the top of, sifting through the songs.

"Fine."

"Sure?"

"Yup." Dean mumbled. I rolled my eyes, letting it go.

"No, you're right, it's definitely weird." Sam said into his phone. "Okay, Bobby, thanks."

"Come on." Dean said, pushing away from the jukebox, he and I making our way over to Sam. "What's up?"

I slid into the booth first, followed by Dean as Sam put his phone away, beginning to type away on the computer. "Bobby found something in Wyoming."

"Something like a job?" I asked.

"Maybe." Sam shrugged as the waitress brought over Dean's burger, waiting for her to leave before continuing. "Small town, no one's died in the past week and a half."

I furrowed my brow, sharing a confused look with Dean as he took a bite of his burger. "That so unusual?"

"Well, it's how they're _not_ dying. One guy with terminal cancer strolls right out of hospice. Another guy gets capped by a mugger and walks away without a scratch."

"Capped in the ass?"

"Police say Mr. Jenkins was shot in the heart at point-blank range by a nine-millimeter."

"And he's not a doughnut?" Dean asked through a mouthful of food.

"Locals are saying it's a miracle."

"Huh." I mumbled, watching Dean for a moment with a small smile before turning back to Sam. "And this just started over the past week?"

"Yup. It's got to be something nasty, right? I mean, people making deals or something."

"You think?" Dean asked.

"What else would it be?"

"I don't know." Sam shrugged, putting his laptop in his bag, nodding to the food. "Get that to go."

Sam stood to his feet, ready to go, but Dean didn't move, leaving me by the window next to him, not able to get out. Dean glanced up at his brother. "Sure you want me going with you?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't want to be holding you back or anything." Dean said. I let out a sigh, shaking my head slightly.

"Dude, I've told you a hundred times, that was the siren talking, not me. Can we get past this?"

"Yeah, we're past it."

"Good." Sam nodded, heading to the door.

Once Sam was out of earshot, I looked over at Dean. "I thought you said you were fine."

"I am." Dean said, sliding out of the booth.

I rolled my eyes, following him out. "You know, that's actually staring to get pretty annoying."

"What is?"

"You constantly saying you're fine when it's completely and totally obvious that you aren't."

"What do you want me to do? Cry?"

"Maybe you do need to have a good cry." I said, to which Dean scoffed. "Hey, there's nothing wrong with emotions. Which are things that you do have. That might be surprising, I know."

"You're hilarious." Dean said humorlessly.

"Dean, just talk to me."

"I am."

"Dean."

"Tori." Dean mimicked, stopping by the door, turning to face me. "Stop."

"Or what?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Or you know what I'm gonna do to you."

"What's that?"

Dean smiled lustfully, pushing me against the wall, placing a heavy kiss on my lips. A moment passed before he pulled back, leaving me a little dazed.

"That all you got?" I asked, trying to play off how he made me feel.

"Oh, no. But I can't really do the rest right in the middle of the crowded diner."

"Guess you'll just have to show me later then, huh?"

"I guess so." Dean smirked, wrapping an arm around my waist, a few of the patrons stared at us with raised eyebrows, keeping their eyes locked on us in suspicion as we left.

* * *

 **GREYBULL, WYOMING – DAY  
Jenkins House **

After hours of driving, we finally made it to Greybull, finding the Jenkins house with no problem. Under the guise of running of a religious blog, we made our way inside the home to speak to Jim Jenkins, passing his wife and daughter, who sat in the living room, on our way to the dining room where we all sat down.

"Yes, sir. ." Sam said with a nod.

"All of God's glory fit to blog." Dean grinned.

I glanced over at Dean, clearing my throat as I turned back to Jim. "Some of the people in town are saying what happened to you was nothing short of a miracle."

"It was." Jim replied. "Plain as day."

"How are you sure?"

"How else do you explain it? The doctors can't. There's a bullet in my heart, and it's pumping like a piston."

"Well, how do _you_ explain it?" Dean asked.

Jim hesitated, glancing over at his wife and daughter. "Look, honestly, I was nobody's saint. Not exactly father of the year, either."

"Okay."

"But when that guy shot me and I didn't bleed a drop? I just knew the Lord was giving me a second chance."

"That so?"

"I had this feeling, like angels were watching over me." Jim paused, shooting us a look. "I wouldn't expect you guys to understand."

"I guess we'll just have to try." I commented, sharing a look with Dean.

"You wouldn't have happened to have swung by a crossroads in the past week or so?" Sam asked.

"No." Jim said.

"Maybe you met someone? With black eyes? Or red?"

"Who'd you guys say you were again?"

"You know, I think it's time we get going." I said, kicking Sam lightly under the table before standing to my feet. "Thanks for your time."

* * *

 **MOTEL – NIGHT**

As I sat at the table, looking up some stuff on the computer, Dean walked behind me, leaning over to place a kiss on the top of my head. I glanced back at him as he placed his hands on my shoulders, massaging them lightly. "You seem a little tense."

"Do I?" I asked.

"Yeah." Dean murmured, bending down to place kisses on my neck. "You know, I think I could help with that."

"Oh, could you?"

"Well, I did make a promise this morning, didn't I?"

"You did."

"Well, we have some time before Sam gets back."

"We do."

"Come here." Dean smiled, coaxing me to my feet.

Dean ran his hands down my hips, placing a heated kiss on my lips. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he lifted me up onto the table, his lower half resting between my legs. I ran my hands down his chest, pulling his shirt up until he got the message, leaning back to take it off.

Throwing it on the ground, he returning his lips to mine while unbuttoning my shirt, pulling it off, leaving me in my lacy black bra, moving back slightly to stare down at the fabric, licking his lips.

"Like what you see?" I asked, leaning back on the table, moving the tops of my arms so that they would push my breast together.

"Fuck." Dean hissed, kissing me hungrily as gripped my chest with his hands. I moaned into his mouth, running my hands over his shoulder blades.

Eventually, Dean unclasped my bra, throwing that to the ground before placing kisses on my chest. I ran my hands through his hair, wrapping my legs around his backside, pulling him to me, feeling his hardness against me.

Dean let out a low growl, tugging my pants and underwear off quickly before sliding his own down. I bit my lip as I watched him grip himself, spreading my legs a bit further so he could guide himself into me. I dug my fingernails into his back as he pumped in and out of me, wasting no time going slow, as we were both completely ready.

I moaned, throwing my head back as the pleasure started taking over my whole body. Dean kissed my neck, sucking lightly as his own orgasm began.

As we both came down, Dean placed kisses along my jawline, moving to my lips again. I lightly sucked on his bottom lip, the both of us smiling into the kiss, breathing heavily as we pulled back. I placed another kiss on his lips before hopping down off the table, bending down to pick up the clothes.

"Oh, wait-" Dean called as I was about to stand upright. "Don't move, that's a fucking amazing view."

"Oh, is it?" I smiled, wiggling my butt a little.

"Don't do that. Unless you want to go for round two."

"We can't." I sighed, turning to face him. "Sam will be back soon."

"Yeah." Dean nodded, taking his clothes from me.

* * *

Not to long after we got dressed, Sam came back, shutting the door behind him. "Hey."

"Hey." Dean called from the bed, the laptop in front of him. "Anything?"

"That cancer survivor? He was clinically dead, his wife pulled the plug, and now he's taking her out for their twentieth anniversary."

"Any sign of a deal?"

"No. What about you guys? Found anyone dying around here?"

Dean raised his eyebrows, glancing over to me. "Uh...we found something...but it doesn't have much to do with the case."

"What?" Sam asked, realization covering his features. "Guys, come on! People _aren't_ dying you're having sex?" Dean and I shared a confused look, turning back to Sam with furrowed brows.

"What?" I asked.

"I mean, something is obviously going on here and-"

"And when does that ever stop us?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I swear, you guys-"

"Listen, before... _that._ " I paused, glancing over at Dean with a smirk before turning back to Sam, who rolled his eyes. "I did find something."

"What?"

"Cole Griffith." I told him, taking the laptop from Dean to pull up the news article. "He died ten days ago, the last person to die in this town."

"So, what are you thinking?"

"Maybe it is what the people say it is." Dean shrugged.

"Miracles?" Sam scoffed. "Dean, our experience, when do miracles just _happen_?"

I raised an eyebrow at Sam, glancing over at Dean, who took a sip of his coffee, pausing when he saw my eyes land on him. "What?"

"Dean being pulled out of hell was kind of a miracle." I said. "Plus, there's no deals. No faith healers. For some reason, their souls just aren't getting pulled into the light."

Sam thought over what I said for a moment, his eyes lighting up with an idea. "Maybe 'cause there's no one around to carry them."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"Well, grim reapers, that's what they do, right? Schlep souls? So, if death ain't in town-"

"Then nobody's dying."

"Wait, wait. What are you saying? Death just _stopped_ taking souls?" I asked incredulously. "That's a bit of a stretch, Sam."

"More of a stretch than a God-given miracle?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, so say that the reapers are on strike, how are we supposed to know?" Dean asked.

"We talk to somebody who might."

"Well, last I checked huggy bear ain't available."

"No, dude, the kid."

"Cole?" I asked.

"Sam, the kid's a doornail." Dean said.

"Exactly. Look, if he was the last person to die around here, then maybe he's seen something. We should talk to him."

"I love how matter-of-fact you are about that. Strange lives."

* * *

 **CEMETERY – NIGHT**

The cool night air whipped around us as we stood in front of Cole's headstone, five candles surrounded a pentacle that I'd drawn on the cloth lying on top of his grave. Sam knelt in front of them, placing a bundle of sticks in the center of it. I leaned on Dean, who was sitting on another headstone, flipping through John's journal.

"This feels so wrong." I mumbled, watching Sam pour red liquid into the bowl in the center.

"Are you even sure this is gonna work?" Dean asked.

"No." Sam said. "But if his spirit's around, this should smoke him out."

"This job is jacked."

"How so?"

"You want me to gank a monster or torch a corpse, hey, let's light it up, right? But this? If we fix whatever this is, people are gonna start dropping dead. Good people."

"Look, I don't want them to die, either, Dean, but there's a natural order."

"You're kidding, right?" Dean asked incredulously.

"You don't see the irony in that? I mean, we're like the poster kids of the unnatural order. All we _do_ is ditch death."

"Yeah, but the normal rules don't really apply to us, do they?"

"We're no different than anybody else."

"Look, I know you want to think of yourself as normal, Dean. But you're not. Neither am I. And neither is she. We're not normal people. The sooner you accept that, the better off you're gonna be."

"That's a change." I said.

"What?"

"I thought you wanted life to be _normal_."

"You can sense demons and hear angels." Sam said, gesturing to Dean. "You've been to hell. I'm infected with demon blood. We're past normal." I raised an eyebrow sharing a look of slight shock with Dean as Sam turned back to the candles. "You gonna help me finish this?"

"Hey!" A man called, shining a flashlight on us as he approached. "What are you doing here?"

"Just take is easy." Sam said, standing to his feet next to Dean and I.

"What the hell is this?"

"Okay, this- this isn't what it looks like." Dean laughed awkwardly.

"Really? 'Cause it looks like devil worship."

"What? No! No, this isn't devil worship. This- this is- this is, uh-" Dean paused, glancing over at me.

I shrugged. "What? I got nothing."

"We're leaving." Sam said.

Suddenly, a huge cloud of smoke flew around us, entering the man's mouth. My stomach flopped as he smiled sickeningly. "You're not going anywhere. Ever again."

Dean's eyes widened as the man's turned white, his voice shaking as he mumbled a name I'd never forget. "Alastair."

"The one and only."

"I thought you got deep fried, extra-crispy."

"Just the pediatrician I was riding. His wife's still looking for him. It's hilarious. Anyway." Alastair shrugged, glancing back to Sam. "No time to chat. Got a hot date with death."

With a flick of his wrist, Dean went flying across the yard, hitting his head on one of the gravestones, knocking him unconscious.

"Dean!" I cried, about to run over to him when Alastair dragged me back into his arms, wrapping one around my chest.

"Now, now, sweet angel." Alastair murmured to me, running a finger down my cheek.

"Let her go." Sam spat through gritted teeth, moving to take a step forward.

"One move and I'll snap her pretty little neck."

Sam quickly stopped, fuming as he stared at the demon. Alastair smiled and flicked his hand at Sam, but he didn't budge. "You're stronger, Sam. You've been soloflexing with your little slut?"

"You have no idea." Sam said, raising his hand. My eyes widened as I glanced behind me, seeing Alastair cringing in pain. "Let her go."

Before I knew what even happened, Alastair pushed me to the ground, the smoke flying out of his body as he escaped into the tops of the thick trees. On my hands and knees, I glanced up at Sam, breathing heavily as my heart pounded.

* * *

 **IMPALA – NIGHT**

Without saying much to Sam, the both of us had gotten Dean into the back, his head resting on my lap as he slowly regained consciousness, still kind of out of it.

"Want to tell me what the hell happened back there?" I asked Sam suddenly.

"What?" He asked, acting like he didn't know what I was talking about.

"Sam, I saw what you did. You're still doing that stuff with Ruby."

"No, I'm not. That was just what was leftover-"

"It's amazing how much I don't believe that." I snapped.

"Wh- what happened?" Dean asked groggily from my lap.

I smoothed his hair back. "It's okay, baby."

"But-"

"Don't do that." I said, gently pushing Dean back down after he tried to sit up. "Just stay put, okay?"

"Okay." Dean mumbled, lying back down.

"You need to stop lying to us, Sam." I said, not hearing another peep from him.

* * *

Once we'd gotten back to the motel he had completely come to, lying on the bed with an ice pack on his head.

"So, how are you doing?" Sam asked from his spot by the table.

"I'm in pain, that's how I'm doing. I think I have a concussion." Dean mumbled.

"Maybe we should go to the hospital." I suggested.

"No."

"Dean-"

"No. I'm fine."

"At least take some aspirin."

"No thanks, House."

"Too bad." I said, quickly grabbed Dean's cheeks, dropping a few pills into his open mouth.

In his shocked state, he quickly swallowed them, reaching for the beer he'd been drinking to wash them down. "What the hell, Tori?"'

"I know what's best for you."

"Shoving pills down my throat? I could've choked to death."

"Don't be so dramatic, Dean, it's baby aspirin." I chuckled lightly, sitting down on the foot of the bed, turning back to Sam. "So, demons?"

"What?" Sam asked, the amused look in his eyes disappearing in an instant.

"Demons. They're what's doing this. Keeping people from dying."

"Oh, uh, yeah."

"So much for miracles."

"And what the hell happened with Alastair again?" Dean asked.

"I told you, he tried to fling me or whatever." Sam said nonchalantly, getting up to get a cup of coffee. "And it didn't work, so he bailed."

"Well, how come he couldn't fling you? He chucked you pretty good last time."

I didn't say anything, waiting to see if Sam would confess for himself. I knew that he didn't want me to see what happened back there at the cemetery, to know the truth. So he certainly didn't want Dean to know he was still doing whatever the hell it was he was he could do.

"Got no idea." Sam shrugged. I shook my head, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Sam, do me a favor. If you're gonna keep your little secrets, I can't really stop you, but just don't treat me like an idiot, okay?"

"What? Dean, I'm not keeping secrets."

I glanced up at Sam, the look in my eyes making him quickly look away. Dean saw the interaction, not needing anymore conformation to know the truth. "Whatever. You gonna go back and q-and-a the dead kid?"

"We don't have to. Bobby called. He did some digging."

"And?"

"And he thinks I'm right. The local reaper's gone. But not just gone, kidnapped."

"By demons? Why?"

"Well, Bobby figured it out." I said, flipping open the thin notebook I'd written the passage down earlier. " _And he bloodied death under the newborn sky – sweet to taste, but bitter when once devoured_."

"Swanky. What the hell's that mean?"

"Well, it's from a very obscure and very arcane version of Revelations. Basically if you kill a reaper under the solstice moon, which is tomorrow night, by the way, you've got a broken seal."

"How do you ice a reaper? You can't kill death."

"I don't know. Maybe demons can." Sam shrugged.

"Where the hell are the angels?" I complained. "They're so bent on stopping seals from being broken, why don't they get their asses down here?"

Dean shot me a surprised look, raising an eyebrow. "You okay?"

"In the words of Dean Winchester, I'm fine." I said sarcastically, shooting him a look.

"Okay, great."

"So, what are we supposed to do, just swing in and save the friendly neighborhood reaper?" Sam asked.

"You got a better idea, I'm all ears."

"Dean, reapers are invisible. The only people that can see them are the dead and the dying."

"Well, if ghosts are the only ones that can see them..."

"I don't like where this is going." I mumbled.

"We become ghosts." Dean said with a smirk.

"You do have a concussion." Sam muttered.

"Sounds crazy, I know."

"That's because it is, Dean." I said. "Haven't you died enough by now?"

Dean shot me a look, shaking his head. "It's the only shot we've got."

"I'd rather not take it."

"Well, I didn't want to take the aspirin."

"Dean you can hardly compare me making you take medicine to you making us become ghosts."

"How would we even do that?" Sam asked.

"I can think of somebody."

* * *

After tying to convince Dean for over an hour that he was in no condition to drive, I eventually waited until he went to the bathroom to grab the car keys, making my way out to the Impala and heading out before he could stop me.

The entire car ride was spent with Pam telling me how dumb this whole plan was, but I got somehow got through all her scolding and made it back to the motel in one piece.

"Come on." I called, getting out of the car.

"Oh, we're still doing this?" Pam asked, following me.

"I swear to god, Pam-"

"What? You gonna punch a blind lady?"

Ignoring her, I headed to the door, opening it up. Sam smiled from the bed, standing to his feet. "Well, Pamela, you're a sight for sore eyes."

"Aw, that's sweet, grumpy." Pamela mumbled dryly, pushing her sunglasses back into her hair, revealing her fake white eyes. "What do you say to deaf people?"

Sam looked down awkwardly while Dean sat at the table, narrowing his eyes at me. "It'd be nice if you told me you were gonna hijack my car."

"If I told you, it wouldn't have been much of a hijacking, now would it." I retorted, shooting him a small smile as I shut the door behind Pam and I.

"Hey, Pam."

"I can't even begin to tell you how crazy you three are." Pam complained, feeling her way over to the table, sitting across from Dean before looking in my direction. "Come on, where's that fist?"

"Which one of you brainiacs came up with astral projection?"

"Me." Dean said.

"Of course. _Chachi_." Pamela cracked. I chuckled lightly. "Don't laugh, you're just as bad for going along with it, _Joanie_. So, let's be clear. You want to rip your souls out of your bodies and take a little stroll through the spirit world?"

"Yup."

"Do you have any idea how heavy-duty insane that is?"

"Maybe, but that's where the reaper is, so..."

"So, it's nuts."

"Not if you know what you're doing."

"You don't know what you're doing."

"No, but you do."

"Yeah, I do." Pam nodded. "And guess what? I'm sick of being hauled back into your angel-demon, Soc-Greaser bullshit."

"Look, I'd love to be kicking back with a cold one, watching _Judge Judy,_ too."

"Nice. More blind jokes?"

"You know what I mean." Dean said, shaking his head. "We're talking the end of the world here, okay? No more tasseled leather pants, no more Ramones CDs, no more nothing. We need your help."

* * *

Once we'd gotten the supplies Pam needed for the ritual, Sam was shutting the blinds to make it completely dark in the room while I brought a chair in between the beds for Pam to sit on.

"Tell me something, geniuses. Even if you do break into the veil and you find the reaper, how you gonna save it?" Pam asked, sitting down.

"With style and class." Dean grinned.

"You're gonna be three walking pieces of fog who can't touch or move anything. You'll be defenseless, hotshot."

"I seem to recall a bunch of ghosts beating the shit out of us." Sam said.

"Yeah, well, they had plenty of time to practice."

"Well, then I guess we got to start cramming." Dean smiled, moving to lie down on the bed.

"God, this is so stupid." I complained, laying down next to him.

"Yes, it is." Pam nodded. "Close your eyes."

"Pam?"

"Yeah?"

"You better not do anything weird to Dean's body while he's not in it."

"We'll see." Pamela said, a grin in her voice as she started. " _Animum vult decipi, ergo decipiatur. Vis, vis, vis_. Okay, guys. That's it. Showtime."

Opening my eyes, I sat up, not seeing or feeling that much of a change in the room. I glanced over at Dean, who sat upright next to me, sharing a look with him as he turned to Pam. "Well, nothing like shooting blanks. What's plan B?"

Pam didn't have any reaction to Dean, sitting there blankly. I looked over at the other bed, seeing Sam lying there before turning around, seeing him stepping in front of the bed.

"Holy shit." I mumbled, looking back at my unconscious body.

"Alright, so, I'm assuming you're somewhere over the rainbow. Remember I have to bring you back. I'll whisper the incantation in your ear." Pam said, leaning over to whisper something in Sam's ear.

Unable to hear what she said, I just watched Sam's face, seeing him grin a little.

"What'd she say?" Dean asked.

"Uh, nothing." Sam shrugged. "Let's go."

* * *

 **STREET – DAY**

As we made our way through the town, a female jogger came running down the sidewalk, moving right through Sam with no idea of what she'd just done, going on her way.

"That was crazy." Dean muttered in astonishment, glancing over at Sam before sticking his arm into his chest. Sam looked up at him, an eyebrow raised, his face stony. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"Get out of me." Sam said.

Dean pulled an arm back, shaking his head. "You're such a prude."

I smiled, glancing over at Dean, seeing that look in his eye that told me what he was about to do. "Don't. You were already inside me today."

"Like I haven't been inside you more than once in a single day."

"Oh, guys come on." Sam complained, moving to walk across the street. Dean and I shared a small grin, following him.

* * *

"Man, we've been spooking this town for hours." Dean said as we made our way across yet another street. "No demons, no black smoke. I say we hit Victoria's Secret and get our peep on, huh?"

"You know, just because I can't hit you doesn't mean you can just stay that stuff." I said, glaring at him.

"Hey. Three o'clock. Kid in the window." Sam said, nodding to the house in front of us. "Am I crazy or is he looking at us?"

In the blue suburban home, a young boy stood in the window of the second floor, peering outside.

"It's 'cause we've seen him before." Dean said.

"We have?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Cole Griffith."

"The last person to die in this town." I added just as Cole's image flickered and vanished.

* * *

We quickly made our way to the Griffith house, heading up the stairs, following Mrs. Griffith as she went, opening a door to reveal a young boys room.

"Cole? It's Mom. Your dad thinks I'm crazy. Are you here? A picture frame fell over. I could have sworn it was you, baby. Are you still here with me?" She asked, her voice cracking.

Cole stood over by his dresser, beginning to start spinning a soccer ball. Mrs. Griffith stared as, to her, the ball mysteriously flew off the dresser, bouncing on the door beside her. Cole stood there, staring after it with a sad look, not seeing Sam, Dean or I yet.

Mrs. Griffith let out a shaky breath, turning to leave the room, walking right through the three of us. Cole was just about to start throwing more balls when Dean stepped in. "Stop! How are you doing that?"

"Who are you?" Cole asked, looking at us with wide eyes.

"Calm down, Cole. It's okay." I said.

"How do you know my name?"

"Look, this isn't gonna be easy to hear, but...you're dead." Sam said gently. "You're a spirit. Us too."

"Yeah, thanks, Haley Joel." Cole replied sarcastically. "I know I'm dead. What do you want?"

"Well, uh-" Sam paused, glancing over at me, a little taken a-back.

"We just want to talk." I said.

"About what?"

"How you died. If you saw..anybody when it happened."

"I did. A man."

"Okay."

"I have- had asthma." Cole started, heading out of the room. The three of us followed him as he led us down to the kitchen where his mother sat at the kitchen table pouring herself a glass of vodka. "I was outside all morning. They tell you to be careful when it's cold."

"Cold air can cause an asthma attack?" Dean asked.

Cole nodded, shrugging. "But then I was in my room. It happened so fast. I called out for my mom, but nothing came out. Everything started spinning, and then I was just standing there, looking down at my body."

"And that's when you saw the man?" Sam asked.

"Creepy old guy in a black suit. He wanted me to go with him, but...I didn't want to go."

"How'd you get rid of him?"

"I didn't. The black smoke did."

"Black smoke?" I asked.

"It was everywhere. I hid in the closet, and when I came out, it was gone, and so was he."

"Do you know where the smoke went?" Dean asked.

"No. But I know where it is." Cole replied. Just then the lights started flickering, and Cole jumped back, looking scared. "They're back."

"Who?"

Cole vanished, not answering us as a blast of cold wind hit us in the face, the faint outline of a human-shaped white smoke going past us, up the stairs. We quickly followed it, moving to the bottom of the steps.

"Hey! Wait!" Dean called. "We need to talk to you!"

"Dean." A voice murmured as a pretty brunette appeared at the top of the stairs, walking back towards us.

I furrowed my brow, glancing over at Dean, who was looking at her with confused eyes. "Do I know you?"

"We go way back. You don't remember me?"

"Honestly, if I had a nickel for every time I heard a girl say that...you're gonna have to freshen my memory."

"Christ, Dean." I huffed, rolling my eyes.

The woman stepped forward, pulling Dean in for a kiss. I stood there, shocked for a moment as she stepped back and look of recognition crossed Dean's eyes. "Tessa."

"Tessa?"

"That's one of my names, yeah."

"What the fuck just happened?"

"Don't worry, it's nothing like that." Tessa said. "Just had to _freshen his memory_ a little."

"So you do know her." Sam interjected.

"From the hospital after the accident." Dean nodded.

"The accident with dad?"

"So, this is the bitch that came after you." I snapped, turning back to her.

"Hey, don't make me drag that pretty little ass of yours into the light." Tessa said, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Oh, I wish you would try."

"Okay, no." Dean said, putting an arm in front of me.

"I can just walk through that, Dean."

Tessa smiled, letting out a breath. "Well, this was fun. Now, if you'll excuse me-"

"Wait, wait. You can't- you can't take the kid." Dean said, stopping her.

"Why?"

"Demons are in town, that's why. They've already snatched your reaper pal. The kid knows where."

"So?"  
"So, you should get your ass out of here. For all we know, they could try and get you, too." I said. "Not that I would mind, but still."

"Except that this town is off the rails. And someone has to set it straight."

"Yeah, we understand that." Dean said. "But these are special circumstances."

"What? Your whole angel-demon dance-off? I could care less. I just want to do my job."

"You know about the angels?"

"Of course I do. Every one sitting on your shoulder." Tessa said, her eyes flicking to me before moving away.

"Right, yeah. Okay, look, we want to help you do your job." Sam said. "So, if you would just bail town-"

"No."

"Well, then, could you hold off until we fix this?" Dean asked. "Please?"

"Alright, but just so we're clear, when I start reaping again, I'm starting with the kid."

"Understood. I'll find him." Sam said, moving to go upstairs.

"Wait, what are you gonna say to him?" Dean asked.

"Whatever I have to."

"I'll tell you, life is funny." Tessa said, glancing over at Dean.

Dean looked down at her, an eyebrow raised in question. "What do you mean?"

"You and me, together again."

"Are you- are you making a move on me?" Dean asked, nervously glancing over at me as I stood next to him, glaring at Tessa. "That probably isn't a good idea."

"Oh, calm down." Tessa said, looking to me. "It's nothing like that at all."

"Right." I mumbled.

"Listen, I don't want any trouble. I was just doing my job. He was the one that got away. You'd be surprised how little that happens to me."

"Stupidly enough, I kind of get it." I said, looking over at Dean, seeing that he was still looking on edge. "Dean, calm down."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, okay."

"Boy, he really is wrapped around your finger isn't he?" Tessa asked, laughing lightly.

"Hey guys?" Sam called, appearing on the landing of the stairs with Cole behind him.

"Hey, Cole. I'm Tessa." She smiled at the boy. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"It's okay, Cole." Sam coaxed. "Just tell them what you told me."

"I saw the black smoke at my funeral." Cole muttered.

"At the cemetery?" Dean asked.

"At the funeral home. It was everywhere."

The lights started flickering around us, and Dean immediately looked at Tessa. "You doing that?"

"No."

Just then the front door whipped open and black smoke poured through the house. We all ducked as it filled the room around us, leaving almost as quickly as it had come. And when we stood upright, Tessa was now gone.

"Cole, you okay?" Sam asked, looking back to the boy as he nodded.

"How the hell are we supposed to fight that?" I asked, my voice shaking slightly. "It took a damn reaper."

"I don't know. Learn some ghost moves?"

"By tonight?" Dean asked. "Yeah, sure. I'll meet you back at _Mr. Miyagi's_."

"Who's Mr. Miyagi?" Cole asked innocently.

"Oh my god, we're so old." I mumbled, sharing a look with Sam and Dean.

* * *

Outside, the sky seemed to be getting darker and darker by the minute, but not in the normal way. It was the middle of the day, the sun should be shining, but it wasn't. The four of us stood on the porch, Dean staring at a miniature windmill intently.

"It's not gonna move if you don't concentrate." Cole said.

"I am concentrating." Dean snapped, letting out a breath, glaring at it, causing the windmill to turn ever so slightly. "Here we go, baby!"

"You pull a muscle?"

"Alright, Yoda. Let's see what you go."

"Alright." Cole looked at the windmill and in a second, it started spinning and didn't stop once. Followed by the porch swing starting to move, and the wind chimes blowing around.

"Dude! You are so _Amityville_."

"This isn't even the good stuff." Cole grinned.

"So how do we hit things?" I asked, glancing over at Dean.

"If you want to hit something, you just got to get mad."

"Sounds simple enough."

"Like this." Cole said, turning and punching Sam in the stomach, causing him to fold over in pain.

"Alright, got it." Sam strained.

"Now you try." Cole said, turning to me. "Hit me."

"I'm not gonna hit a kid, sorry." I said. "I actually had somebody else in mind."

"Yeah, okay." Dean said, holding his arms out to the side. "Go on, hit me."

"Remember, get angry." Cole said.

"Yeah. Though really, there's nothing for you to be angry about."

"Oh, no?"

"No."

"You making out with a reaper?"

"Hey, that wasn't my fault."

"Still happened." I said, punching him hard in the shoulder, my eyes widening when I realized I actually made contact. "Holy shit! I did it!"

"Yeah, ow." Dean complained, rubbing his arm.

Cole shook his head, turning back to Sam. "Hit me as hard as you can."

"Dude, I'm not gonna do _Fight Club_ with a twelve-year-old." Sam replied. Cole narrowed his eyes, whacking Sam in the face. "Alright, cut it out."

"Make me." Cole said, taking another swing. Sam quickly blocked it, swinging back, but Cole vanished, reappearing just out of reach.

"Whoa." Dean smiled. "You got to teach us that."

* * *

 **FUNERAL HOME – NIGHT**

The walls of the funeral home were covered in glowing blue sigils, most of them six-sided figures, some in circles and some in squares, all with lines through them and squiggles inside the triangles. The boys and I crossed the street to head to the funeral home, pedestrians completely ignoring the sigils painted right in front of them as they passed.

"This looks like _New Jack City_." Dean said. "Nobody can see this?"

"Maybe it's invisible demon ink. Only see it in the veil." Sam suggested.

"Any idea what it's for?"

"We'll find out."

Once we entered the building, we moved through a few of the rooms, not finding anything until we came upon the largest room in the middle where a huge eight pointed star sigil was painted on the ground, Tessa and an older man in a suit lying in the middle. Another man was standing guard on the other side of the room, facing away from us.

"Dude, check me out." Dean whispered, disappearing from sight, reappearing behind the man, tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention before punching him in the face.

The man turned to take a swing, but Dean was gone. Sam appeared in front of him, punching him across the face. Just as I was about to go over there, I felt a chain wrap around me, looking up to see chains around Sam and Dean as well and a man staring down at me with a grin, holding my chain.

"Tori!"

"Find the place okay?" The man holding me asked, his eyes turning pure white.

"Alastair?" Dean asked. One of the demons walked up, handing him a shot gun. Alastair held me off to the side, shooting Dean in the chest, causing him to disintegrate.

"Dean!" I called.

"Relax. He'll be back." Alastair said, pulling me closer to him, moving my hair to the side, pulling in a deep breath my my neck. "So good and pure. So ready to be corrupted."

"What?" I asked, looking up at him with worried eyes.

"Oh, you'll find out, darling." He smiled as Dean reappeared. "Rock salt's not so much fun anymore, is it?"

"Alastair. You bastard." Dean snapped. "Let her go."

"I don't think so." He mumbled, looking to Sam. "Well, go on. Why don't you try some of your mojo on me now, hotshot? It's hard to get it up when you're not wearing your meat, huh?"

"Go to hell." Sam spat, fuming.

"Ah, if only I could. And I'd take this pretty little angel with me." Alastair said, hugging me tighter. "I mean, she's gotta see where fate will lead her at some point, right?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, seeing Dean looking scared.

"I can't tell you that. Not yet, anyway." He sighed. "No hell yet, they just keep sending me back up to this arctic shithole."

"To kill death?"

"No, to kill death _twice_. It takes two to break a seal. I figured another one would show up, though. They're like lemmings." Alastair said, pumping the shot gun, firing at Sam, making him vanish as he grinned at Dean. "By the way, it's, uh, good to see you again, Dean."

"You can shoot us all you want, but you can't kill us." Dean said as Sam reappeared.

"Is that so?" Alastair asked, pulling the chains tight around me.

* * *

I pulled in a harsh breath, sitting upright to find myself in the motel room. Pamela let out a startled scream, her hand on her chest as she jumped back. "What the fuck are you doing here!?"

"Alastair." I told her, getting to my feet.

"Who?"

"A demon. A bad one. He has Sam and Dean. You have to send me back."

"A demon?"

"Yeah."

"Remind me to tell that bastard Bobby Singer to go to hell for ever introducing me to you three in the first place."

"I'm sorry, Pam. I now you didn't want anything to do with this."

"I didn't."

"Listen, you have to bring me back there.

"I can't."

"Why?"

"It was a one time thing. They're still there, I can't put you back there."

"Then bring them back here."

Suddenly, I felt my stomach flop, hearing the window shatter, two demons rushing inside.

* * *

DPOV

"What did you do with her!?" I shouted, any deep seeded fear of Alastair gone.

"Don't worry, she's fine. Back in the realm of the living."

"Where?"

"With your psychic friend."

"Why?"

"She doesn't need to be here." He replied simply, going over to a table, grabbing a scythe. "Anyhoo..."

"Why?"

"You never asked this many questions in hell, Dean."

"Why do you fucking demons want her so bad?"

"We're not the only ones. The angels want her to. But we're going to get her first."

"What are you talking-"

"Enough!" Alastair shouted, shooting me again. I felt that same strange feeling of nothingness for a moment before reappearing next to Sam, watching Alastair move to the reapers. "Moon's in the right spot. The board is set. Let's get started, shall we?"

"You're gonna kill a reaper with that? It's little on the nose, don't you think?"

"Is it? An old friend lent it to me. You know, he doesn't really ride a pale horse? But he does have three amigos. And they're just jonesing for the apocalypse." "It pays to have friends in low places. Don't you think?" Alastair said, kneeling in front of the old man reaper, placing the scythe behind his neck. " _Hic cruor messorius, illud sigillum, quod luciferem reverendum obstringit, aperiat ut resurgat!_ "

As he finished, a white-blue light shined in the room and Alastair let the body of the reaper drop to the ground, dead. He stepped over the body, grabbing Tessa by the shoulder, holding the scythe to her neck. She woke up, her eyes going wide. "Stop!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sam glancing up at the chandieler above the sigil, glancing over at me. I stared at it, concentrating as hard as I could on making it fall.

" _Hic cruor messorius,_ _llud sigillum, quod luciferem reverendum obstringit-"_

The chandelier started shaking above them, suddenly falling, breaking the trap. Tessa vanished from a shocked Alastair, reappearing to unhook our chains.

"Bye-bye." I grinned as the three of us vanished, reappearing on a dark street.

"Guys?" Tessa called. "I could use your help."

* * *

 **GRIFFITH HOUSE – NIGHT**

Mrs. Griffith sat at the dining room table, looking at a photo album filled with pictures of Cole when he was younger, tears streaming down her face. Cole stood in the doorway, watching his mother, a sad look on his face.

"Hey, Cole." Tessa said.

Cole turned around, narrowing his eyes at Sam. "Thanks for nothing."

I glanced up at Sam, seeing him look down to the ground. Tessa glanced back at us, turning to the boy. "Look at her, Cole. Do you see how unhappy she is?"

"That's why I want to stay with her."

"As long as she can feel you, she'll be in pain, because she can't let go. Because you won't let go of her."

"Why won't anybody tell me what's on the other side?" Cole asked, a scared look in his eyes.

"Maybe nobody wants to ruin the surprise."

"That's not an answer."

"She won't answer you, Cole." I said, this conversation reminding me of the one I'd had with Tessa. "Reapers never do. But trust me. Staying here is a whole lot worse than anything over there."

"Why?"

"Because one day, your family will be gone, and there'll be nothing left here for you. It's okay to be scared."

"I'm not scared."

"We're all scared. That's the big secret. We're all scared."

"Are you coming?" Cole asked Sam and I.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll be there sooner than you think."

"Where's the girl that was with you? Did she already go?"

My heart dropped as I stared at Cole, though I didn't want him to see how much that bothered me. "No. Not yet, no."

Cole nodded, looking back to his mother for a moment before walking up to Tessa, hugging her. In a flash of white light, he melted into her, vanishing.

"Look out for that boy." I said as Tessa turned back to us.

"Look out for yourselves."

"What do you mean?"

"I've been around death from the get-go. You know what I see most? Lies. _He's in a better place. At least they're together now_. You all lie to yourselves, Dean, 'cause like you said, deep down, you're all scared. Stop lying to yourself."

"What?"

"The angels have something _good_ in store for you and Tori. But I'm pretty sure, deep down, you know something nasty's coming down the road. Trust your instincts, Dean. There's no such thing as miracles." She said, disappearing before us.

* * *

TPOV

The demons charged at the both of us, but I quickly kicked one of them in the stomach, sending him stumbling backwards. Pamela grabbed her knife, ready to fight.

"Pam, bring them back!" I shouted.

She nodded, making her way over to Sam, leaning down. Just as she started, one of the demons got a hold of me and I wasn't able to get out of his grasp as he dragged me away. I watched as the other demon grabbed Pamela, dragging her to the ground, pulling out a knife, holding it above her and she kicked and struggled.

"Stop!" I screamed, grabbing at the door jam as the demon pulled me into the bathroom. My nails dug into the wood, breaking off as I struggled against his strength. I watched in horror as the other demon brought the knife down, stabbing Pamela in the chest. "No!"

As the demon pulled me into the room, I kicked at his legs while he turned towards the full bathtub, chuckling. "I know how much you love water, so I had this waiting for you."

"Nobody can die in this town." I spat.

"We'll see about that."

My eyes widened as he grabbed me by the back of the neck, pushing my head under the water. I struggled, but he wouldn't let me up for air. The demon kicked his knee into my stomach, causing me to open my mouth, sucking water into my lungs against my will. I felt the pressure building up in my head as my vision started to blur, my eyes drifting shut as my movements slowly stilled, and I felt darkness take over.

* * *

DPOV

Once Tessa had left, Sam and I made our way outside, walking down the sidewalk. I let out a sigh. "Why isn't Pam bringing us back?"

"I don't know."

"Tori's with her."

"Yeah, maybe. We don't know where the hell Alastair sent her."

"What if something happened?" I asked worriedly.

"Oh, something happened." A voice sounded behind us.

I didn't need to turn around to know exactly who it was, but did anyway. "Alastair."

"You can't run. I'm inside that angsty little noggin of yours." He said, walking towards me. Suddenly, white ligthening hit Alastair, making him disappear.

"What the hell?" I asked, sharing a look with Sam.

"Guess again." Castiel said, appearing before us, touching mine and Sam's foreheads in unison.

My eyes opened to see the motel room ceiling, the stale smell of blood in the air. My own blood ran cold as I slowly sat up, looking down in horror as I saw Pamela lying on the ground surrounded by a pool of blood.

"Oh my god." Sam muttered, his eyes wide, going over to Pamela, checking her pulse. "She's dead."

"Shit." I huffed, remembering what Alastair had said. He brought Tori back here.

Not seeing her in the main room, I spotted the half shut bathroom door, moving over to it slowly, afraid of what I'd see on the other side. With a deep breath, I opened it, my heart dropping when I saw the top half of Tori's body hanging into the full bathtub. I hurriedly ran over to her, pulling her out, seeing that her lips had turned blue. I held a finger to her neck...my stomach dropping when I didn't feel a pulse.

"No, no, no. Sam!" I called, starting chest compressions before pinching her nose, breathing air into her mouth, then starting all over again. "Come on, baby girl. Come on."

Sam noticed the distress in my voice when I called him, quickly rushing over to the bathroom door, his eyes going wide when he saw Tori, tears filling them.

"Come on, baby. You can't leave me like this. You can't go." I said, tears forming in my eyes as I stared down at her face. "I can't do this without you."

* * *

TPOV

Around me, the room seemed bare, blank, void of all color. Only pure white. I looked up, not recognizing where I was, only that I was sat in the middle of what seemed to be a never-ending room. I got off the floor, hearing footsteps behind me.

I turned around, seeing Castiel standing there. "Hello, Victoria."

"Am in- in heaven?"

"Almost."

"So I'm- am I dead?"

"Yes."

"I am?"

"Yes." Castiel replied simply, as if it was no big deal all the while my heart was breaking.

"How-"

"A demon drowned you." Castiel replied simply. Flashes of the man holding me under the water, my body struggling until I let go, flew through my mind.

"I don't- I don't want to be dead." I said, tears forming in my eyes. "I can't-"

"I know."

"But that's it, right? People in this town, they started getting reaped again. I'm really gone."

"For the most part, yes."

"What does that mean?" I asked, not getting a response. "If Tessa started again, why didn't _I_ get reaped?"

"I stepped in."

"Why? Cas, you have to start giving me more information here. You can't just go quiet like that."

"Victoria, do you want to go back?"

"Of course I do!"

"Why?"

"What?"

"If you knew that you could have peace here, forever. Never have another worry, why wouldn't you accept it?" Castiel asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Why do I have to answer you if you never answer me?" I asked, to which Castiel just stared. "Because- because the people I love need me. And I need them."

For the first time ever, I saw Castiel crack a small smile. "You really are just like your mother."

"My mother?" I asked, watching him look down. "Cas?"

"She was a wonderful woman. A beautiful person who was taken from the world much too soon. But that won't happen to you." Castiel said, placing a hand on my forehead.

* * *

DPOV

It seemed like forever had passed, and I'd breathed air into Tori's lungs for the millionth time to no avail. She was gone, and with each second that she was, I felt a part of me slowly ripping away and I couldn't help but wonder if she felt like this when the tables were turned.

The more I thought about her death, the more the heartbreak I'd felt slowly turned to anger as I leaned over her, my head resting on her chest.

If those asshole demons thought they could just get away with this, they were wrong. There would be hell to pay. For the first time, I was almost thankful for all the things Alastair had taught me, because I was going to use them all, every single on, on him and the bastards that did this to her.

Suddenly, I felt Tori's chest heave, hearing her pull in a loud, sharp breath. I moved back, my eyes widening as I stared down at her, Sam ran into the room, his face still wet with tears. Tori stared up at me with a similar expression to my own, swallowing hard.

Without saying anything, I pulled her into my arms. Sam dropped to his knees, the both of us sandwiching her between us as we held her tightly. I didn't know how she was back, and while part of me wanted to ask, more of me didn't give a shit because I could feel that part that was tearing away from me snap back into place as soon as she took a breath.

Tessa said there were no such things as miracles, but her coming back was one to me, no matter how it happened. Two seconds ago I was ready to go torture the shit out of any demon that was involved in her death, and now, I didn't even care if someone died for her to come back.

And even though it scared me how I could be when it came to her, it didn't matter. Because I would do anything for her. Anything.

* * *

 **Big thanks and shoutout to** ** _Ladysunshine6_** **who came up with some awesome ideas for this chapter! :)**

 **Tori finally caught up and now all of them have legitimately died at some point! Yay! Ah, supernatural...lol**

 **As always, thanks for reading! I hope you liked it! Feel free to leave reviews and send me private messages, they are all loved and much appreciated.  
**

 **Twitter: phoenixwrites79  
Instagram: phoenixwritesfanfiction **


	18. On the Head of a Pin

_I get it, you're an outcast  
Always under attack, always coming in last  
Bringing up the past  
No one owes you anything  
I think you need a shotgun blast, a kick in the ass  
So paranoid  
Watch your back_

… _.._

 _I'm so sick of this tombstone mentality  
If there's an afterlife, then it'll set you free  
But I'm not gonna part the seas  
You're a self-fulfilling prophecy  
You think that crying to me, looking so sorry _

_That I'm gonna believe you've been infected by a social disease  
Well, then take your medicine_

 _I created the sound of madness_

 _Wrote the book on pain  
Somehow I'm still here to explain  
That the darkest hour never comes in the night  
You can sleep with a gun  
When you gonna wake up?  
When you gonna wake up and fight?_

 _I created the sound of madness  
Wrote the book on pain  
Somehow I'm still here to explain  
That the darkest hour never comes in the night  
You can sleep with a gun  
When you gonna wake up and fight  
For yourself_

 _ **Shinedown – Sound Of Madness**_

* * *

After taking Pamela's body out to a very secluded tree filled area, we burned her, giving her as much of a hunters funeral as we could given the circumstances. Dean never took his hands off of me, keeping me close to him, even opting to sit in the backseat with me while Sam drove down the long, dark road away from this god-forsaken town.

"But you actually did…die?" Dean asked for the hundredth time in two hours.

"Yes." I nodded, letting out a sigh.

"And Cas brought you back."

"Yeah."

"Why?" Sam asked.

"Who cares?" Dean retorted before I got the chance to speak. "It doesn't matter."

"Listen, I uh- I texted Ruby. She said she'll meet us outside Cheyenne. She's been tracking some leads." Sam said, sheepishly as he pulled into another motel parking lot, glancing back to see hard looks from Dean and I. "I know she's not exactly on your Christmas list, but if she can help us get to Lilith-"

"Hey, man, work with Ruby – don't. I don't really give a rats ass."

"I don't really think you want me around any demons right now, especially her." I said.

"Yeah, I second that."

"What?" Sam asked. "What's your problem?"

"Tori _died_ because of those bastards."

"But she's back now."

"Sam, what about Pam? She didn't want anything to do with this and dragged her back into it and got her killed."

"She knew what was at stake."

" _She knew what was at stake?_ " I asked. "How can you say that, Sam?"

"I'm tired of burying friends." Dean mumbled.

Sam sighed, shaking his head. "Look, we catch a fresh trail-"

"And we follow it, I know. Like I said, I'm just- I'm just getting tired."

"Well, get angry."

Dean and I watched as Sam got out of the car, heading into the office to go get us a room for the night. I let out a small breath, leaning more into Dean's side, feeling him press his lips to the top of my head. "You have no idea how scared I was."

"What?" I asked, turning a bit to look up at him. "When?"

"When you were...gone."

"Oh. Well, I'm back now. I'm not going anywhere."

"Yeah, I know." Dean murmured, running a hand through my hair, kissing me gently.

I'd gotten so lost in the moment that I jumped about ten feet in the air when Sam opened the door, shooting us an apologetic look. "Sorry, guys. I got the room."

"Alright." Dean nodded, getting out before reaching back in to help me.

"Dean, I'm okay." I smiled, taking his hand anyway.

"I know."

As Sam handed me one of my bags, Dean quickly grabbed it, shooting me a small smile as he headed towards the door.

"He's not gonna let me do anything, is he?"

"Nope." Sam said, looking down at me a bit awkwardly. "Tori, are you really okay, though?"

"Well, I was only murdered by a demon." I shrugged nonchalantly, my eyes telling a whole different story. "I'm just perfect."

"Right."

"Yeah." I breathed, patting Sam on the arm before heading towards the door, unlocking it.

"Ah, home crappy home." Dean mumbled as I flipped on the lights, my mind suddenly filling with loud ringing.

"Jesus Christ!" I exclaimed, holding my temples.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked worriedly, dropping the bags as he turned to face me while Sam stepped behind me.

I peered over his shoulder, seeing Uriel and Castiel standing across the room. "Them."

"Winchester, Winchester and Anderson." Uriel droned.

"Oh, come on." Dean complained.

"Think you could tone it down a bit next time?" I snapped, referring to the ringing.

"You are needed." Uriel said, looking only at Dean.

Dean scoffed. "We just got back from _needed_."

"What the hell is going on here?" I asked.

"The three of you just saved a seal." Castiel said.

"Yeah, I know."

"We captured Alastair. This was a victory."

"It was? Pamela died! Hell, I died."

"And now you're back." Uriel spat. "You should be thankful."

"That script on the funeral home, we couldn't penetrate it." Castiel explained.

"That was angel-proofing." Dean said.

"Why do you think I recruited you, Sam and Victoria in the first place?"

"Wait, you _recruited_ us?" Sam asked.

"That wasn't your friend Bobby who called about the seal, Sam."

"That was- that was you?"

"Yes."

"I don't understand. If you were there the whole time, why didn't you save Pamela? You remember her, don't you, Cas?" I asked, a slight tinge of guilt in his expression. "You burned out her eyes. You could've brought her back. She's a good person, she didn't deserve to die."

"I'm sorry."

"If you brought me back, you could've brought her back, too." I said angrily.

"I had-

"Mind your tone with us." Uriel interrupted, his voice threatening.

"No, you mind your damn tone with us." Dean spat back.

"We just got back from Pamela's funeral." Sam said sadly.

"She died saving one of your _precious seals_. So maybe you can stop pushing us around like chess pieces for five fucking minutes!"

"We raised you out of hell for our purposes." Uriel said.

"Yeah, what were those again? What exactly did you want from me?"

"Start with gratitude."

"Dean, we know this is difficult to understand." Castiel said.

"And we don't care." Uriel said, giving Cas a pointed look before turning to us again. "Now, seven angels have been murdered, all of them from our garrison. The last one was killed tonight."

"I'm not sure how that's our problem." I mumbled.

Uriel shot me a hard look, narrowing his eyes. "If you know what's good for you, you'll stop talking back."

Dean placed a hand on my lower back, silently telling me to calm down as he looked up to the angels. "Demons? How are they doing it?"

"We don't know."

"I'm sorry, but I kind of think that Tori is right. I mean, what do you want us to do about it? A demon with the juice to ice angels has to be out of our league, right?" Sam asked.

"We can handle the demons, thank you very much."

"Once we find whoever it is." Castiel interjected.

"So you need our help _hunting_ a demon?" Dean asked.

"Not quite. We have Alastair."

"Great. He should be able to name your trigger man."

"But he won't talk. Alastair's will is very strong. We've arrived at an impasse."

"Yeah, well, he's like a black belt in torture. I mean, you guys are out of your league."

"That's why we've come to his student. You happen to be the most qualified interrogator we've got." Uriel muttered to Dean, who's eyes were trained on the ground.

"Dean, you are our best hope." Castiel said.

"You can't ask him to do that." I said, looking between the two angels.

"Who said anything about asking?" Uriel asked, walking over to Dean, grabbing his arm. and the two disappeared from sight.

"Where did he take him?" I asked Cas, advancing towards him.

"I can't tell you that." He replied.

"Bullshit. He can't do that, Cas. You can't make him do that!"

"It's the only thing we have left."

"Fuck that! I saw him down there, Castiel! He can't go back to that." I said, my voice shaking. "He can't."

"I'm sorry."

"You don't know what it means to be sorry." I said as Castiel disappeared from view. "Not yet."

* * *

 **BUILDING – NIGHT  
** DPOV

Once we landed, Uriel stepped away from me. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Alastair through a small window in a door near me, chained up in the middle of a devil's trap. Castiel appeared in front of me, peering through the same window.

"This devil's trap is old Enochian. He's bound completely."

"Fascinating." I mumbled, turning away from the room. "Where's the door?"

"Where are you going?"

"Hitch back to Cheyenne, thank you very much."

"Angels are dying, boy." Uriel said, standing in my way.

"Everybody's dying these days. And hey, I get it. You're all-powerful. You can make me do whatever you want. But you can't make me do this."

"I thought you wanted revenge, Dean."

"What are you talking about?"

Alastair is the reason Victoria got killed. I thought you wanted revenge."

I swallowed hard, looking up at Uriel. "You don't-"

"You promised yourself you'd get it."

"Well, she's back now. I don't need to do this." I said, trying to move around him when he stopped me again. "I won't do this.

"Dean, this is too much to ask, I know." Castiel said. "But we have to ask it."

I looked over at him for a moment, turning back to Uriel. "I want to talk to Cas alone."

"I think I'll go seek revelation." Uriel mumbled. "We might have some further orders."

"Well, get some donuts while you're out."

"Ah, this one just won't quit, will he? I think I'm starting to like you, boy." Uriel laughed, vanishing.

"You guys don't walk enough. You're gonna get flabby." I said, turning to see Cas staring at me blankly. "You know, I'm starting to think he has a better sense of humor than you do."

"Uriel's the funniest angel in the garrison. Ask anyone." Castiel said in a serious tone.

"Right." I nodded, walking over to him. "What's going on, Cas? Since when does Uriel put a leash on you?"

"My superiors have begun to question my sympathies."

"Your _sympathies_?"

"I was getting too close to the humans in my charge. You and Victoria. They feel I've begun to express emotions. The doorways to doubt. This can impair my judgment."

"Well, someone very smart once told me that there's nothing wrong with having emotions."

"I'm an angel-"

" _Of the Lord_ , I know." I nodded, rolling my eyes. "Listen, tell Uriel, or whoever...you do not want me doing this, trust me."

" _Want_ it? No. But I have been told we _need_ it."

"You ask me to open that door and walk through it, you will not like what walks back out."

* * *

 **MOTEL – NIGHT  
** TPOV

Only a few moments had passed before I starred tearing up our bags, going through everything, trying to figure out some way I could find Dean, when a knock sounded on the door.

"Who is that?" I asked, glancing up at Sam, who moved over to the door. "Sam, don't open that-"

Sam ignored me, opening the door to reveal Ruby. I quickly stood to my feel glaring at her as she entered, her nose scrunched up. "I can still smell them."

"Her?"

"Oh, hey there." Ruby smiled at me.

"Fuck yourself." I spat, looking back to Sam. "Really?"

"We need help finding where Dean is." Sam said.

"Oh, sure, I'm totally gonna trust a demon to tell me where Dean is torturing a demon! Alastair is probably her father or something."

"I resent that." Ruby mumbled, folding her arms.

"Good." I snapped, heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked.

"To find Dean."

"Tori, we're gonna find him. Here."

"Whatever, Sam. I want nothing to do with that bitch."

"I'm still in the room." Ruby chimed in.

"You're so lucky Dean has the blade, otherwise I would kill you right now." I told her through gritted teeth, turning back to Sam. "Come on, Sam."

"Okay, Tori, you're not thinking straight-"

"How dumb do you think I am? You're doing _something_ with her, something that's making you the way you are. Making you able to fucking kill demons with your fucking mind! And I don't want any part of it! So I don't want her help. I want to find Dean and get him away from those bastards." I said, my voice growing softer. "You don't need her, Sam. Just come with me."

"Tori, I need to stop Alastair."

"Okay, no-"

"This is the only way."

"Sam, don't do this shit again. Whatever the fuck it even is."

"I know what I have to do, Tori." Sam said, looking away.

With that, I headed outside, slamming the door shut behind me, wracking my brain for solutions. There was a way to summon everything. Even an angel. Hell, Dean summoned Castiel that one night. There had to be something, somewhere in old folklore, some way to trap an angel.

All I had to do was figure it out.

* * *

DPOV

After leaving Castiel out in the other room, I wheeled a cloth covered cart over to Alastair, watching him as he watched me, a sickening grin spreading across his lips as he started singing.

" _Heaven, I'm in heaven, and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak. I seem to find the happiness I seek, when we're out together dancing cheek to cheek..._ "

I ignored him, pulling the cloth off the cart, revealing several torture implements, trying to stop down the horrible feeling building up inside of me.

For once, I was actually happy that Tori wasn't with me. I didn't want her seeing any of this.

Alastair laughed, clearing his throat. "I'm sorry. This is a very serious, very emotional situation for you. I shouldn't laugh, it's just that- I mean, are they serious? They sent _you_ to torture _me_?"

"You got one chance." I said, keeping my eyes on the tools. "One. Tell me who's killing the angels. I want a name."

"You think I'll see all your scary toys and spill my guts?"

"Oh, you'll spill your guts, one way or another. I just didn't wanna ruin my shoes." I said, glancing up at him. "Now answer the question."

"Or what? You'll work me over? But then, maybe you don't want to. Maybe you're...scared to."

"I'm here, aren't I?"

"Not entirely. You left part of yourself back in the pit. Let's see if we can get the two of you back together again, shall we?"

"You're gonna be disappointed." I said, going back to the cart.

"You have not disappointed me so far. Come on. You gotta want a little payback for everything I did to you. For all the pokes and prods. Hm? No? Um...how about for all the things I did to your daddy? How about for what I did to your pretty, little angel?" Alastair asked, making me freeze. "Oh, that got you, didn't it?"

"You can't stall forever."

"You know, I had your pop on my rack for close to a century. John Winchester. Made a good name for himself. A hundred years. After each session, I'd make him the same offer I made you. I'd put down my blade if he picked one up."

"Just give me the demon's name, Alastair."

"But he said _nein_ each and every time. Oh, damned if I couldn't break him. Pulled out all the stops, but John, he was, well, made of something unique. The stuff of heroes. And then came Dean. Dean Winchester. I thought I was up against it again." Alastair laughed. As he spoke, I grabbed a bottle of whiskey, taking a long drink from it. "But daddy's little girl, he broke. He broke in thirty. Oh, just not the man your daddy wanted you to be, huh, Dean?" While he watched I picked up a large bottle of water with a rosary in the bottom of it. "Holy water? Come on. Grasshopper, you're gonna have to get creative to impress me."

"You know something, Alastair? I could still dream. Even in hell. And over and over and over, you know what I dreamt?" I asked.

"About getting to fuck your sweet little angel silly?" Alastair asked, a small grin on his lips. "By the way, she died a horrible death. Slow, painful. Drowning is one of the worst ways to go, you know. She might tell you she's fine, but every time she breathes, she thinks her lungs are filling with water all over again. It'll never leave her."

I glared at him, my jaw clenched shut as I tried to push those thoughts forward, making them fuel me. "I dreamt of this moment. And believe me, I got a few ideas."

"Oh?"

As he watched, I picked up a syringe, filling it with holy water, squirting a bit of it across the room before making my way over to him, placing the tip of the needle on his neck, seeing him starting to look a little nervous.

"Let's get started." I said, plunging the needle in his neck, pushing the holy water into his blood stream as he screamed, moving to put the needle back on the cart. "Let me know if you want some more. There's plenty left."

"Go directly to hell. Do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars." Alastair breathed heavily. I smiled at him, pulling out Ruby's knife, dipping it into holy water. "There's that little pig-poker. I wondered where it you really think this is gonna fix you? Give you closure? That is sad. That's really sad. I carved you into a new animal, Dean. There is no going back."

Without a word, I walked back to Alastair, watching him for a moment before stabbing him in the shoulder with the holy water covered blade, hearing it sizzle. "Maybe you're right. But now it's my turn to carve."

* * *

TPOV

After what felt like forever, I'd finally found the local library, going straight to the folklore section. I grabbed a few books and religion and made my way over to one of the tables, flipping through one of the pages.

I felt someone tap my shoulder, looking up in shock. "Anna?"

"Hi, Tori."

"What are you doing here?"

"I know where Dean is."

"...you do?"

"Yes."

"Will you bring me to him?" I asked, standing to face her.

"I'm not sure you want-"

"I've already seen everything, Anna. I just don't know how I can trust you." I said.

Anna placed a hand on my arm and suddenly, we were inside a building, the loud screams of a man clearly in a lot of pain filling the room. A light bulb exploded as I entered, catching Castiel's attention, who was sitting in front of a door.

"Victoria?"

"Where is Dean?"

"How did you get here?"

"It doesn't matter-"

"You can't be here Victoria."

"Why?"

"Because if Dean sees you-"

"What?"

"He won't be able to do what he needs to."

"Which is, what?" I asked. Castiel looked away from me, his eyes flickering to the door.

I furrowed my brow, rushing over to the window on the door, peering in to see Dean pulling a knife out of Alastair, blood seeping from the wound. Alastair muttered something to Dean, making him turn away in disgust.

"Why are you making Dean do this?" I asked, my voice shaking as I turned from the door.

"He's doing God's work." Castiel replied.

"God's work? That's what this is? Bullshit."

"Who are we to question the will of God?"

"What if this isn't his will?"

"Then where do the orders come from?"

"I don't know. But it- I can't let myself believe that God would actually want this. I can't. Maybe angels are assholes, but God can't be one, too." I said, watching Castiel look down. "You think this is righteous? This is horrible. Evil."

"I didn't think you would care so much about a demon being hurt."

"I don't! But I do care about the person it's possessing. And Dean. This is going to break him, Cas. You should know that. He's been through too much. You have to stop this."

"I can't."

"Then I will." I said, turning back towards the door, about to open it when Dean's eyes caught mine though the window.

The familiarity of the situation wasn't at all lost on me, or him. I could see it in his eyes. Ones that I hoped stayed their usual green, fearing deep down inside that they'd turn black just like my nightmares. Dean quickly turned back as Alastair laughed, his eyes on me. Castiel quickly grabbed me, pulling me away from the door.

* * *

DPOV

My feet felt frozen in place as I saw Tori staring at me through the window, my heart pounded wildly in my chest, and I wasn't sure I could continue with this. All those times in hell, I'd sense her there, but every time I looked she never really was. I just thought it was, well, hell. Even if I was torturing, I was still being tortured. But knowing what I do now, knowing that she really was there, that she really saw everything…

"Would you look at that? Just like old times." He grinned. "What's the matter, Dean? Can't get it up now that you know your crush is watching?"

The guilt began filling up inside of me, eating away at me...that is, until I heard Alastair start laughing again.

"Now she gets to watch you torture in the light. Now she gets to see how corrupt you really are."

As I turned I pulled out my flask, flinging holy water on his face. "Who's murdering the angels?"

"You're just not getting deep enough. Well, you lack the resources. Reality is just, I don't know, too concrete up here. Honestly, Dean…you have no idea how bad it really was, and what you really did for us."

"Shut up." I hissed.

"The whole bloody thing, Dean. The reason Lilith wanted you there in the first place."

"Well, then I'll just make you shut up." I spat, grabbing his chin.

"Lilith really-" Alastairs voice cut off as I pushed a funnel down his throat, pouring salt inside of it.

* * *

TPOV

Castiel kept a hand on my arm, holding me in place beside him as Alastair screamed loudly, his voice muffled. But I due to Castiel holding me, I couldn't see why. Not that I really wanted to. I could only imagine what Dean was doing in there with the things he knew.

"I thought you would've taken me away by now." I said.

"You wanted to be here."

"You angels really are dicks."

"I didn't want Dean to do this." Castiel said, staring down into my eyes. "I saw what he did in hell."

"And that didn't matter. All that matters is your stupid orders!"

"You followed orders when John Winchester gave them, didn't you?"

"And at least I knew who the hell they were coming from! You don't even know who you're following."

"And if I didn't follow those orders, you would still be dead."

"You had orders to bring me back?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes."

Just then, Alastairs screams got even louder than before and I cringed. "Cas, please, you don't know what this is doing to Dean."

"I wish things were different, Victoria. I do."

"Then make them different." I said, my voice hard. "You don't always win wars by following rules, Cas. Especially when people are getting hurt in the process."

* * *

DPOV

Alastair spit out blood, his breathing labored. "Something's caught in my throat. I think it's my throat."

"Well, strap in, 'cause I'm just starting to have fun." I said, going back to the cart.

"Even with little Victoria out there? Knowing what's going on in here? Knowing every move you're making because she's seen it all before? She's gonna hate you for this, Dean."

"No she won't." I gritted.

"Oh, have a hit a sore spot?"

"No." I said, turning back to him slightly. "Because I am damn lucky to have her. She knows the shit I've done, she knows it all and you know what? She still loves me. And this won't change a fucking thing."

"If that's what you need to tell yourself." Alastair shrugged. "You know, it was supposed to be your father. He was supposed to bring it on. But, in the end, it was you."

"Bring what on?"

"Oh, every night, the same offer, remember? Same as your father. And finally you said, _sign me up_. Oh, the first time you picked up my razor, the first time you sliced into that weeping bitch..." Alastair paused as I turned towards him. "That was the first seal."

"You're lying." I said, trying to control my expression so I wouldn't let him know how shocked I was.

"And it is written that _the first seal shall be broken when a righteous man sheds blood in hell. As he breaks, so shall it break._ We had to break the first seal before any others. Only way to get the dominoes to fall, right? Topple the one at the front of the line."

As he spoke, I turned around, allowing the shock and guilt I felt to pour out of me, my breathing becoming shallow.

"When we win, when we bring on the apocalypse and burn this earth down, we'll owe it all to you, Dean Winchester." Alastair continued. "Believe me, son, I wouldn't lie about this. It's kind of a religious sort of thing with me."

"No. I don't think you are lying. But even if the demons do win, you won't be there to see it." I said, grabbing Ruby's knife. As soon as I turned around Alastair was right behind me, free of the chains.

"You should talk to your plumber about the pipes." He mumbled, punching me hard in the face, knocking me to the ground.

* * *

TPOV

A few moments later, everything went eerily silent, an unsettled feeling washing over me. I glanced over to Cas, seeing that he looked rather unaffected.

"Why is it so quiet?" I asked.

"I'm not sure." Castiel replied with a shrug.

"Maybe something's wrong." I said, moving towards the door when Castiel gripped my arm tighter.

"You can't go in there."

"Castiel let me go, something is wrong."

"Stay here. I'll check." Cas said, gently pushing me back towards the wall, going over to the window, his eyes widening. "Oh, no."

"What is it?" I asked, my own eyes widening when I saw Alastair punching a very bloodied Dean over and over again. I was just about to open the door when Castiel stopped me, placing a hand on mine. "Fuck you, let me in there."

Castiel didn't say another word, disappearing from my sight, silently entering the room without me. I watched as he approached the demon, and sensing his presence, Alastair turned, letting Dean fall to the ground unconscious, just as Cas stabbed him in the heart with Ruby's knife. Alastair cringed in pain, glaring at Castiel as he twisted the knife. He mumbled something to him before pulling the knife out, throwing it across the room, proceeding to punch Castiel.

Frantically, I hit the door with my shoulder, trying to break it open since it was locked from the inside. I looked around the room, seeing a large flower pot on the floor and grabbed it, hitting the doorknob with it.

Alastair stared down at Cas, an evil grin on his face, glancing back at me with a smile as the door drifted open. "Well, look who decided to join the party."

With a flick of his wrist, I was held against the wall near the door, watching helplessly as he started chanting in Latin, a light blue and white smoke leaving Castiel's mouth. Suddenly, he was pushed away from Cas, slammed hard against the wall and I fell to the ground along with Castiel. My eyes widened as I glanced behind me, seeing Sam enter, his hand held up to the demon. I went over to Dean, holding his head up as blood pooled in his mouth.

"Stupid pet tricks." Alastair hissed.

"Who's murdering the angels?" Sam asked. "How are they doing it?"

"You think I'm gonna tell you?"

"Yeah, I do." Sam said, twisting his hand. I watched as Alastair's eyes roll back in his head and he started choking. "How are the demons killing angels?"

"It's not us. We're not doing it."

"I don't believe you."

"Lilith is not behind this. She wouldn't kill seven angels. Oh, she'd kill a hundred, a thousand!" Alastair exclaimed and Sam stopped choking him. "Oh, go ahead. Send me back, if you can."

"I'm stronger than that now. Now I can kill." Sam said, his voice a distorted version of it's normal self as he thew his hand out again.

Gold light flared up inside Alastair and he let out a loud scream until the lights stopped, the body falling to the ground, dead. I stared up at Sam with wide, scared eyes as he breathed heavily, glancing over at Dean and I on the ground, the look in his eyes sending a chill down my spine.

* * *

 **HOSPITAL – DAY**

The sound of people, nurses, doctors, patients and visitors, droned outside of the room, a faint noise in the distance as I sat next to the hospital bed, Dean's hand in mine, my thumb lightly rubbing the top of it. All I could do was focus on him, the breathing tube down his throat, the bandages around his head.

Sam sat on the other side of the bed, though I hadn't really said all that much to him. I couldn't think of a single thing _to_ say. To be honest, even though I was furious with him for using his psychic...whatever...I couldn't think of a better piece of scum to be on the receiving end. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy that he killed Alastair.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Castiel appear in the doorway, pausing there for a moment before turning. I glanced up at Sam, quickly following after Cas, grabbing his arm to stop him as I turned out of the doorway.

"Victoria-"

"You need to get in there and heal him. Now."

"I can't."

"That's bullshit. You brought me back from the dead. You pulled him out of hell-"

"I can't."

"You and Uriel put him in there."

"No."

"Yes. All because you needed your answers. And the fact that two angels couldn't keep a simple devil's trap together."

"I don't know what happened. That trap...it shouldn't have broken. I am sorry."

"This whole thing was fucking pointless, do you understand that?"

"The demons aren't doing the hits." Sam muttered, walking over to us. "Something else is killing your soldiers."

"Perhaps Alastair was lying." Castiel muttered.

"No, he wasn't." Sam said, nothing but honesty in his eyes as he walked over to us, leaving Castiel looking gutted.

* * *

 **PARK – DAY  
** CPOV

If there was anything I learned from the time I'd spent with Elizabeth, it was the feeling of hurt when someone you cared about was in pain. Decades without her had made those feelings fade quite a bit, but looking into Victoria's eyes, I saw Elizabeth's...and it seemed to be happening all over again.

I knew it was getting harder and harder to not show how attached I actually had become after all the years I'd been watching out for her.

Pushing those thoughts aside, I approached Uriel as he sat on a bench, his eyes shut. "Castiel, I received revelation from our superiors. Our brothers and sisters are dying and they- they want us to stop hunting the demon responsible. Something is wrong up there. I mean, can you feel it?"

"The murders. Maybe they aren't demonic." I said, sitting next to him. "Sam Winchester said the demons had nothing to do with it."

"If not the demons, what could it be?"

"The will of heaven. We are failing, Uriel. We are losing the war. Perhaps the garrison is being punished."

"You think our father would-"

"I think maybe our father isn't giving the orders anymore." I said, thinking back to Victoria's words. "Maybe there is something wrong."

"Well, I won't wait to be gutted." Uriel said, vanishing.

* * *

As I moved down the snow covered street, a though occurred to me, finally realizing how Victoria had gotten to the building we were in without knowing the location at all.

"Anna? Anna, please." I called into the sky. "I know you helped Victoria. Please."

"Decided to kill me after all?" She asked, appearing behind me.

"I'm alone." I said, turning to face her.

"What do you want from me, Castiel?"

"I know you have experience with this and...I'm considering disobedience."

"Good."

"No, it isn't. For the first time, I feel-"

"It gets worse. Choosing your own course of action is confusing, terrifying." Anna said, placing a hand on my shoulder. I glanced over at it, watching her drop it fast. "That's right. You're too good for my help. I'm just trash. A walking blasphemy."

"I don't know what to do. Please tell me what to do."

"Like the old days? No. I'm sorry. It's time to think for yourself." Anna said, disappearing.

* * *

 **BUILDING – DAY**

With curiosity getting the better of me, I made my way back to the room we'd been holding Alastair in, inspecting the devil's trap. I made this myself, there was no way possible for it to have any faults. Moving around the room, I noticed a pipe dripping, the water leaking down right into the broken spot in the sigil.

"You called?" Uriel asked, entering the room. "What do you say, Castiel? Will you join me? Will you fight with me?"

"Strange how a leaky pipe can undo the work of angels when we ourselves are supposed to be the agents of fate."

"Alastair was much more powerful than we had imagined."

"No demon can overpower that trap. I made it myself." I said, turning to him. "We've been friends for a long time, Uriel. Fought by each other's sides, served together away from home, for what seems like forever. We're brothers, Uriel. Pay me that respect. Tell me the truth."

"The truth is, the only thing that can kill an angel-" Uriel paused, allowing his angel blade to slide out of his sleeve and into his grasp. "Is another angel."

"You."

"I'm afraid so."

"And you broke the devil's trap, set Alastair on Dean."

"Alastair should never have been taken alive. Really inconvenient, Cas. Yes, I did turn the screw a little. Alastair should have killed Dean and Victoria and escaped, and you should have gone on happily scapegoating the demons."

"For the murders of our kin?" I asked, shocked.

"Not murders, Castiel. No. My work is conversion. How long have we waited here? How long have we played this game by rules that make no sense?"

"It is our father's world, Uriel."

"Our father? He stopped being that, if he ever was, the moment he created them. Humanity, his favorites. This whining, puking larva."

"Are you trying to convert me?"

"I wanted you to join me. And I still do. With you, we can be powerful enough to raise our brother."

"Lucifer."

"You do remember him? How strong he was? How beautiful? And he didn't bow to humanity. He was punished for defending us. Now, if you want to believe in something, Cas, believe in him."

"Lucifer is not God."

"God isn't God anymore. He doesn't care what we do. I am proof of that."

"But this?" I asked. "What were you gonna do, Uriel? Were you gonna kill the whole garrison?"

"I only killed the ones who said no. Others have joined me, Cas. Now, please, brother, don't fight me. Help me. Help me spread the word. Help me bring on the apocalypse." Uriel muttered. "All you have to do is be unafraid."

"For the first time in a long time, I am." I said, watching him smile before I punched him hard, sending him flying through the wall. Uriel stood back up, hitting me with a metal bar, sending me to the ground. "You can't win, Uriel. I still serve God."  
"You haven't even met the man. There is no will. No wrath. No God." Uriel said, punching me between each phrase, about to lift his hand again when a blade sunk through his neck from behind.

"Maybe. Or maybe not. But there's still me." Anna said, pulling out the blade as Uriel collapsed to the ground, screaming as white light flared in his eyes and mouth, the light exploxing out of him, shaking me to my core.

Anna walked over, holding out a hand. I took it, allowing her to help me to my feet as I stared down at the large wings seared into the floor across the devil's trap.

* * *

 **HOSPITAL – NIGHT  
** TPOV

Slowly, but surely, Dean was getting better and better. Even faster than the doctors had anticipated. But I knew it wasn't because of any angel, it was just Dean. Even if he didn't want to believe it, he was too strong to let any of this stop him.

Sam had gone to get something to eat, leaving Dean and I alone. I smiled over at him, running a hand through his hair as he stared blankly at the TV.

"Want some more ice?" I asked.

"Nah, I'm good."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded, glancing over at me, barely meeting my eyes before letting his drop again.

"What's the matter? Dean, talk to me."

"How upset are you?"

"With who?"

"Me."

"You? I'm not upset with you."

"You saw what I did you Alastair."

"I did." I nodded, taking his hand in mine. "Baby, I don't care."

"How?"

"Because I know you didn't want to do that." I said, looking deeply into his eyes. "I'm angry with those bastard angels and demons. I'm not angry with you."

"...okay." Dean muttered, his voice small.

"I love you." I murmured, leaning in to place a kiss on his lips.

"I love you, too."

"Really?" I asked, pulling back a bit, a small smile on my face.

Dean smiled back, a sight I was more than happy to see. "Yeah, really."

"Good."

"Well, if you love me so much, there's something I have to tell you."

"What?"

"Alastair said something..."

"Okay."

"He told me that I- when I said yes to- to doing what I did down there...that I broke the first seal."

My eyes widened for a moment in shock before I relaxed my expression. "Dean, that- no. That's a lie."

"He said he was telling the truth."

"Yeah, he was such a great guy."

"You really don't think that's true?"

"No." I said, looking up to the door as it opened, expecting to see Sam, but instead was met with Castiel. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just coming to see how Dean was." Cas said, moving over to the other side of the bed, looking down at Dean. "Are you alright?"

"No, thanks to you." Dean replied.

"You need to be more careful."

"You need to learn how to manage a damn devil's trap."

"That's not what I mean. Uriel is dead."

"What?" I asked, surprised.

"Was it the demons?" Dean asked.

"It was disobedience. He was working against us."

"He was killing the other angels?" I asked, seeing Cas nod. "Why?"

"Because he wanted Lucifer free."

"Holy shit."

"Precisely." Cas nodded, sitting down.

A few moments of silence passed when Dean pulled in a heavy breath. "Is it true? Did I break the first seal? Did I start all this?"

"Dean, no-" I started.

"Yes." Castiel replied, interrupting me, making both Dean and I freeze. "When we discovered Lilith's plan for you, we laid siege to hell and we fought our way to get to you before you-"

"Jump-started the apocalypse." Dean mumbled.

"And we were too late."

"Why didn't you just leave me there, then?"

"Dean." I murmured.

"It's not blame that falls on you, Dean, it's fate. The righteous man who begins it is the only one who can finish it. You have to stop it." Castiel said.

"Lucifer? The apocalypse? What does that mean?" Dean asked. Castiel looked away, but Dean wasn't having it. "Hey! Don't you go disappearing on me, you son of a bitch. What does that mean!?"

"I don't know."

"Bullshit."

"I don't. Dean, they don't tell me much. I know our fate rests with you...and Victoria."

"No. Not me." Dean said. My eyes filled with tears at the despair and hatred in his voice as he spoke about himself. "I can't do it, Cas. It's too big. Alastair was right. I'm not all here. I'm not- I'm not strong enough. Well, I guess I'm not the man either of our dads wanted me to be. Find someone else. It's not me."

The tears streamed down my cheeks as Dean started to cry, looking down. Castiel sat there for a moment longer before reaching over, placing a hand on Dean's forehead. In an instant, any cuts, scrapes or bruises he had disappeared, and then so did Cas.

* * *

 **MOTEL – NIGHT**

After a few days had passed, we were still at the motel, all of us resting up from the past few days. Dean hadn't really said much, which was worrying me. I'd never heard him go so long without talking. Eventually, I decided to get Dean and I our own room so our alone time wouldn't be dictated by how long it would take Sam to get dinner.

While we were alone, Dean and I had countless conversations about what Castiel had told us about the first seal. And each time, Dean said the same thing. He was a piece of shit. And each time I told him that he wasn't. That he was my world, Sam world. We fell apart without him. We needed him. The world needed him.

Then I proceeded to try and make him feel as loved, wanted and needed as he was but somehow failed to realize. Tonight wasn't any different.

"You know something?" I asked, leaning up on my elbow, our bare skin touching underneath the sheets.

"What?"

"I love you."

"I know." Dean nodded.

"Good."

Dean stared into my eyes, a strange look crossing his for a moment before he blinked. "You remember the wishing fountain? The one with the cursed coin?"

"...yeah." I mumbled, my brow furrowed in question.

"Know what I'd really wish for?" Dean asked, glancing over at me.

"Naked supermodels?"

Dean chuckled a little, shaking his head. "No...normal."

" _Normal_?"

"Yeah. A normal life. You know, one where we aren't getting threatened every other day. One where the angels don't give two shits about us. One where I haven't been to hell and you haven't been possessed or...died. One where- where maybe you and me can…I don't know."

"Where we can, what?" I asked, seeing him hesitate. "Tell me."

"I don't know, get married. Have kids." Dean rattled off quickly.

I raised an eyebrow, the surprise clear on my face. "I don't think the end of the world is a time to have kids, Dean."

"Exactly. Wouldn't it be nice if we didn't have to worry about the end of the world?"

"Well, yeah. But we do. The wish would've gone south anyway. You know what happened to all those people."

"But what if it didn't? Would you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Make a wish like that. If things could be perfect, just the way we want them without any consequences...would you do it?"

"I don't know. I just feel like it wouldn't be...real."

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "Just...why can't we get what we want sometimes?"

"Because life sucks. I don't know." I shrugged, seeing that he was now avoiding my eyes. "What are you getting at?"

"Last time I asked…I was scared. Hell, I'm still scared, but it- it's different now."

"Dean, what's the matter?" I asked, noticing how nervous he seemed to be getting.

"I mean, every time I feel like complete shit, you somehow get into my brain and make me feel...not so crappy. Like I'm actually worth something."

"That's because you are, baby. You're worth so much. Everything." I said, placing a kiss on his chest, watching him as he fidgeted.

"You know, I've felt the fear of losing you too many times."

"Same here-"

"And I never- I mean if I really did lose you, I'd never get to do the things I'm too afraid of while you're here. Or while I'm here...for however long I have left."

"Dean, you're worrying me a little. What's going on?" I asked, watching Dean let out a small sigh, leaning over the side of the bed, digging through his bag that was on the floor there. "Dean?"

"Dad actually found this and kept it all those years ago. And he actually gave it to me. I mean, I always thought it was stupid. I never really got why he did it, but I just took it from him because I kind of wanted to have it as- as piece of her." Dean said, leaning up, holding something behind his back.

"Who?"

"But, if you would- I mean, if you want. I want you to have it." Dean mumbled, looking like he was about to start sweating bullets.

"Have what?"

"This." Dean said, pulling out Mary's engagement ring.

I stared down at the ring for a moment, looking back up to Dean with a blank expression, my mind running a mile a minute. "...Dean, are you doing what I think you're doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing?"

"I think you're proposing."

"Well, I am." Dean nodded sheepishly. My eyes widened to the size of golf balls as I stared at him, my mouth popped open slightly. "So, what do you say? Will you...uh, say yes?"

"Uh-"

"I'll completely understand if you say no. And I don't want you to say yes just because you feel, I don't know, sorry for me or something-" I cut off his words, practically knocking him off the bed as I jumped on top of him, placing a kiss on his lips, my arms around his neck, before pulling back with a smile. "Is that a yes?"

"That's fuck yes, are you crazy?"

"I don't know." Dean muttered, a small smile appearing on his face as I leaned back on my knees, allowing him to sit upright again. "So, uh, what now?"

"You could put the ring on." I smiled.

"Oh, right." Dean nodded, quickly slipping the ring on my finger, the both of us staring down at it as it fit perfectly into place. Dean looked up at me, actual happiness and relief twinkling in his eyes.

"Did you think I'd say no?"

"I didn't- I wasn't sure."

I cradled his face in my hands, placing a loving kiss on his lips, resting my forehead against his. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Okay, a marriage proposal and saying _I love you_ , you're gonna give me a heart attack." I joked.

Dean smiled, gently, but quickly, pushing me down onto my back, hovering over me. "I do, though."

"I know you do."

"Good."

And with that, we spent the rest of the night in a little bubble of peace and happiness. Not allowing any pain or sadness through. Something I hadn't really felt in a long time, and it was good. Really, really good.

* * *

 **Maybe that ending didn't quite fit perfectly in this exact chapter, but I don't know, something about it felt right to me. Because I just couldn't end a chapter with Dean being that sad right now. One of the reason's I started writing this was because I kind of hate how much Dean beats himself up, thinking he's worthless and really doesn't have anyone to tell him otherwise.**

 **Anyhoo, happy endings. Hooray. That shit won't last long lol**

 ** _It's a Terrible Life_ is up next and god, what a weird episode. So much fun to write though. It's one of my favorites!**

 **Thanks for reading and dealing with my weird sense of humor in my A/N's. I hope you liked this chapter!**

 **Twitter: phoenixwrites79  
Instagram: phoenixwritesfanfiction **


	19. It's a Terrible Life

_Very superstitious writings on the wall  
Very superstitious ladders about to fall  
..._

 _Very superstitious, wash your face and hands_  
 _Rid me of the problem, do all that you can_  
 _Keep me in a daydream, keep me going strong,_  
 _You don't wanna save me, sad is my song_  
 _…._

 _Very superstitious, nothing more to say  
Very superstitious, the devil's on his way  
Thirteen month old baby, broke the looking glass  
Seven years of bad luck, good things in your past_

 _When you believe in things that you don't understand  
Then you suffer_  
 _Superstition ain't the way_

 _ **Stevie Wonder – Superstition**_

* * *

After waking up way too early for my liking, I started out my day like normal. A small bowl of cereal, followed by a cup of _Irish_ coffee, a quick shower, brushing my hair and teeth, throwing on my favorite white plaid shirt, dark blue jeans some old sneakers and I was out the door, getting into my beat up, old white _Honda_ that I just couldn't bare to get rid of. I mean, this thing had been with me since I was sixteen.

What felt like an eternity of driving led me to the tall building that I worked in everyday. _Sandover Bridge & Iron. _I quite literally wanted to puke in my mouth as I made my way up to the large double doors. Everything about this job was useless except the pay, and some of my co-workers. One in particular.

As I walked through the double doors of the building, I spotted someone I'd now considered to be one of my best friends leaning against the receptionist desk, wearing that same hideous bright yellow shirt I've had to stare at every single day for the past three weeks.

"Hey, Sam." I smiled, walking over to him. "Ready for another day of mind melting work?"

"I guess." Sam took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. I grabbed his arm, dragging him over to the elevator where I pressed the up button. My mind seemed to drift off as I watched the little arrow above the doors light up with every floor the elevator passed on it's way to the lobby as we stood there.

The doors opened and I was about to step into the elevator when Sam threw an arm around my shoulders, leaning down to my ear. "Your boyfriend's coming."

I furrowed my brow, looking up at him in question, seeing him just nod behind us, silently telling me to look. Once I did, I immediately felt my breath catch in my throat. Dean Smith was standing by the receptionist desk looking down at his phone. The receptionist stared up at him giant googly eyes, but he didn't seem to notice.

See, this was my major problem with this job. It made me turn back into a lovesick sixteen year old. But, I wasn't sixteen anymore with a crush on some high school jock. no...I was a woman.

A woman with a childish crush on a some guy.

Right, that's totally healthy.

While I realized this was a serious problem, every time I tried to kick those silly little feelings, they just came back a million times harder the next time I saw him. Which, in all honesty, had only been a handful of time since I'd started working here.

But still, it's not my fault that I can't get him out of my head. And it's not my fault that he's the star of every wet dream I have...it's his.

"Talk to him."

"What?" I asked, looking up to Sam.

"Say something to him. Remember the last time you tried?"

"I remember him blowing me off." I huffed, thinking back to that morning last week. God, I wanted to die.

"Really? 'Cause I remember him getting a flustered and awkwardly stumbling out of the elevator." Sam laughed, watching me roll my eyes.

Just as Sam and I stepped into the elevator, he pushed me right into the middle just as Dean stepped in. I glared up at him as Sam smirked down at me, knowing exactly what he was doing.

Thankfully Dean was keeping to himself on his phone. That was a good enough excuse not to say anything to him right now. Maybe he wouldn't notice if I broke Sam's neck...

As we went up, I was waiting for Sam to do something stupid like push me into Dean by _accident_ , but when that didn't come, I glanced up to see him otherwise occupied, staring at Dean rather creepily. I really didn't know what do with the situation at hand and kept to myself, figuring Sam was just going through one of his weird daydreaming things and placed his eyes in the wrong direction.

Making sure to keep my eyes straight ahead, I waited for what seemed like an eternity for the elevator doors to open. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that Sam was still staring at Dean – who had started to shift back and forth on his feet uncomfortably, obviously noticing.

Before I could elbow Sam again, Dean suddenly looked up at him. "Can I help you?"

"Huh?" Sam mumbled, still staring down at Dean. I shifted my weight to my right foot, nudging Sam with my arm. He shook his head, finally realizing what he'd been doing. "I'm sorry, man, you just look really familiar."

"Save it for the health club, pal." Dean muttered, nodding to the open elevator doors.

I smiled apologetically at Dean before grabbing Sam's arm and dragging him out onto our floor. "Sorry about that. Have a good day."

"You- you uh- you too-" Dean said, his cheeks flushing as the doors shut.

"Wow. That was super awkward." I said, letting out the breath I felt like I'd been holding for the past five minutes.

"Yeah..." Sam said as we walked over to our cubicles. "Tell me you didn't see him blush when you talked to him, though."

"No." I scrambled, not wanting to admit that I had seen him get flustered and really, really enjoyed it. "But I did see you staring at him. I mean, I know he's hot and all...but I didn't think you were into that." I joked, poking him in the side.

"Oh ha, ha. You're so funny." Sam deadpanned, pushing my hand away from his side. "I don't know...he just seemed really familiar."

"Well, he should. You have seen him a couple times since we started working here."

"No, not like that...like I knew him..."

"That's kinda creepy, Sam."

"Okay, let's just drop it." Sam huffed, moving in front of me to his desk. I shrugged, following behind him.

* * *

So far, it was a rather slow day for me, thank god. I didn't seem to be getting a lot of calls. Sam, however seemed to be inundated with them.

"Tech support, this is Sam Wesson." Sam said into the phone. I heard him let out a low groan out next to me. "Okay. Uh, well, did you try turning it off and then on? Okay, go ahead and turn it off. No, no, no, just- just off. All right, give it a second. Turn it back on. Okay, is it printing now? Great. Anytime."

"Real challenge, isn't it?" I asked with a smirk, rolling my chair back to look over at Sam.

"Oh, yeah." Sam laughed lightly, shaking his head. "Hey, I forgot to ask you what you did this weekend."

"Stayed home, got drunk...you know, the usual. You?"

"Not much."

"We need to stop leading such reckless lives. It's gonna get us killed." I muttered sarcastically. Sam nodded with a smile.

"Hey peeps." Ian called out, rolling his chair into the back of mine, a small smile on his face.

"Yo." Sam mumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Watch it, jackass." I said. Seeing my computer screen suddenly go black. I rolled back over, inspecting it, seeing that it had crashed.

"Hey...you do know that if you're ever lonely on the weekends you could call me, right, Tori?" Ian asked, grinning.

"Keep dreaming, Ian."

"One of these days."

"If thinking that helps you sleep at night...then, sure." I shrugged, trying to log into my computer once again, watching it slowly groan to life. These stupid things are useless.

"What do you think of Mimi?" Ian asked suddenly.

Sam shrugged. "She's okay."

"Might have to hit that."

"Oh, dude, that's totally age-inappropriate." Sam said. I didn't have to see his face to know how grossed out he probably looked.

"Experience."

"Trifocals." I mumbled, peaking out at them from around my wall.

"Jealous?" Ian asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not in a million years."

"There's a MILF there. I just know it." Ian said, looking in the direction Mimi sat. "Maybe a GMILF."

"Gross, dude."

"Coffee break?"

"Yeah, for sure." Sam said, standing up, looking over to me. "You coming?"

My computer was still trying to come back to life, so I nodded, getting up. "Sure."

On our way to the break room, we stopped in front of Paul's cubical on the way there. Ian smiled over at him. "Paul. Time for a refuel, buddy."

"Sorry, no time." Paul responded quickly, not looking up at us. Sam and I exchanged a look, noticing his weird behavior. He was usually always up for an excuse to get away from work.

"Since when? Dude, we get paid by the hour."

"Working."

"Okay."

"He seems stressed." Sam mentioned as we walked to the break room.

"Freaked because he got busted surfing porn on the Internet." Ian told us.

"No way. When?" I asked, slightly shocked. Paul? Watching porn? That was an image I'd never get out of my mind.

"Got sent up to HR yesterday. Guess they put the fear of God in him." Ian said as I leaned back on the counter, watching him stuff packets of pencils in his pockets.

"Dude, really?" I asked, causing Sam to stop making a couple cups of coffee, turning around.

"Just doing a little shopping. Running low at home."

"They're gonna fire you for that." Sam rolled his eyes, handing me a cup of a coffee, then one to Ian once he stopped raiding the cabinets.

"Yeah, yeah. So, dude, had any of those dreams lately?" Ian asked. I shook my head at him as Sam turned away from us, his lips pursed. "What? Don't be like that. Come on. It's the highlight of my day."

"I never should have told you in the first place." Sam muttered, looking down.

Ian had been relentlessly picking on Sam about his weird dreams ever since he'd decided to share them with us. I mean, they were strange, but he had no control over his subconscious.

"They're genius. Don't hold out on me, dude. Share with the class." Ian said, gesturing between he and I.

"You're just gonna be a dick about it."

"What? No way. I won't say a word. Total respect. Go."

Sam took a deep breath, glancing over at me. "I dreamt that I saved a grim reaper named Tessa from demons."

I just raised an eyebrow, slightly worried for his mental health. Ian busted out laughing, not even trying to hide it. "Classic! How much _D &D_ did you play when you were a kid? Oh, my- okay, so you- rescuing the Grim Reaper. That's- you're a hero. I mean, thank god we got _Harry Potter_ here to save us all from the apocalypse."

I shook my head, placing a hand on Sam's shoulder. "You're a dick, Ian."

"He's a wizard!"

"Ignore him." I told Sam. "He's just jealous that his mind isn't anywhere near as creative as your's."

Sam smirked. "Thanks."

* * *

After we came back from break, I was leaning on the printer, pulling the sheet of paper off, making my way back to my desk with a sigh, passing Sam who was on the phone with another customer.

"Did you turn it off, then on?" Sam asked. I peeked over to see what he was drawing on the notepad in front of were two people with sharp fangs, little droplets of blood dripping from them.

"Jesus." I mumbled, sitting down.

"Alright, well, let's try that. No, no, it's fine, I'll wait. Is it printing now? Oh, that's great. Anytime."

"Whatcha doing?" Ian asked, walking up behind Sam.

"Nothing."

"Either one of you get an email from Human Resources?" Ian asked. I shook my head, looking up at him.

"No." Sam said. "Why?"

"Damn it. Guess it's just me, then. I'm supposed to, quote, _report to HR_ , unquote."

"They're probably finally busting you for snaking all those office supplies." I told him, a smirk on my face.

"I hope they spank me." Ian grinned down at me, twirling my chair a bit before walking away with a laugh.

"No, no. Come on. Don't do this to me. Please." Paul yelled suddenly. I quickly stood from my seat at the same time Sam did, the two of us glanced at each other, confused looks on both our faces.

"Hey, man, you okay?" Sam asked, leaning over to Paul's cube.

"It froze."

"They're shit, Paul. They freeze all the time." I told him. "I mean, mine froze just before. Crashed, too."

"You don't understand. When I- when I rebooted, everything was gone. A whole day's work deleted."

"Well, did you back up?" Sam asked.

"No, I didn't back up. I wish to God I backed up but I didn't. I'll get it back. I'll find it. It's somewhere. I'll find it." Paul muttered to himself.

"Paul, it's okay, man. These things happen." Sam told him reassuringly, glancing over at me. I shrugged in response, not knowing what to say.

* * *

After Ian had gone to the restroom, Sam had revealed to me that even I was in one of his dreams. And a while later when we were about to leave, he'd told me he dozed off and not only was I in the dream he'd had, but Dean Smith too. I had to admit, I was starting to move away from _creative mind_ to _there's something wrong._

"I'm just saying, Sam...maybe you should talk to someone about these dreams you've been having. They're starting to get more than a little weird." I told him as we waited for the elevator.

"What happened to me being creative?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you are but…"

"I don't know...they're just dreams."

"Yeah, dreams where you, Dean Smith and I hunt and kill _monsters_. No, that's perfectly normal." I scoffed, softening my tone. "Plus, they really seem to be getting to you. I don't know."

When the elevator doors opened, Sam and I entered the crowded room. I didn't realize until we were inside, who I was standing right next to...again. Dean Smith. Great. It seemed too sudden, but the elevator stopped, and everyone in front of us got off.

A few seconds later, I once again noticed Sam staring at Dean, but now in the reflection of the door. I knew now why he'd said Dean looked familiar before – he was in his dreams. Then again, he was in mine too and I didn't stare at him like that.

"Can I ask you a question?" Sam asked Dean suddenly.

"Look, man, I told you, I'm not into the, uh-" Dean muttered, barely looking over at Sam. I bit my lip to try and keep from laughing.

At least I know now that he's not gay. I kinda always wondered about that...not that it matters.

"Oh dude, come on, I'm not either. I just wanna ask you one question."

Dean glanced around the elevator, probably trying to find a small hole he could crawl into get away from Sam, but when he realized there was really no escape, he gave in. "Sure."

"What do you think about ghosts?" Sam asked. I shook my head slightly, rubbing my temple with my left hand.

"Ghosts?" Dean asked, disbelieving.

"Do you believe in them?"

"Uh, tell you the truth, I've never given it much thought."

"Vampires?" Sam pushed. I turned to him slightly, mouthing _stop it._

"What? Why?" Dean asked, seemingly getting annoyed.

"Because I've been having some weird dreams lately. You know what I mean?"

"No. Not really." Dean said, shaking his head.

"So you've never had any...weird dreams?" Sam kept pushing.

"Alright, look, man, I don't know you, okay? But I'm gonna do a public service and, uh, let you know that you overshare." Dean said as the elevator doors opened and he left.

"What the actual hell was that, Sam?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" Sam shrugged, playing stupid as the two of the walked out of the elevator, heading to our cars.

"God, you just freaking interrogated the guy on whether or not he believed in the paranormal."

" _Supernatural_."

I stopped short, looking up at him. "W-what?"

"Well, paranormal only means ghost...spirits. Vampires are supernatural, you know...creatures. Also spirits, but..." Sam shrugged again. "Supernatural kind of encompasses everything."

"What the hell happened to you? Did you have some kind of psychotic break? If you did, it would be something you should tell me."

"I'm fine, really. These dreams are just freaking me out!"

"I can tell."

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Want me to drive you home?"

"No, I'm fine. I'm okay."

"Aright." I nodded, hugging him. "Give me a call when you get home."

"I will."

* * *

 **TORI'S APARTMENT – NIGHT**

After tossing and turning in bed for what felt like forever, I eventually gave in and grabbed a couple sleeping pills out of my bathroom cabinet, washing them down with a glass of water, before dragging myself back into bed, quickly falling asleep.

 _I awoke to the dingy walls of a motel room, feeling strong arms wrapped around my midsection and soft breathing on my neck. I smiled to myself, turning around in his arms to face him. I was met with those beautiful green eyes I remembered so clearly._

 _Everything was so vivid – like I'd actually lived through this exact moment._

" _Morning, beautiful." He mumbled, kissing my cheek._

 _Looking into his eyes, I felt that familiar pull inside of me, the one where I just couldn't hold myself back. That same scared feeling...like I'd lose him any second. I pulled his face to mine, kissing him hard. He gently rolled on top of me, kissing my neck. I didn't want to let go of him...and every breath, every touch – I seemed to cherish more than you normally would. I just couldn't understand why._

 _Eventually my vision started to blur and I felt safe and secure in his arms..._

I woke suddenly to my alarm blasting, startled and covered in sweat. Yet another dream with Dean Smith. Even though that particular one was slightly unsettling, it was still a great way to start my day. I smirked to myself, shaking my head.

God, I was pathetic.

With a heavy sigh, I got up and got dressed for the day, throwing on some jeans, a purple tank top and a black sweater. Once I'd made it to work, I walked up to the entrance of the building, noticing a lot of commotion going on. Way too much for this time of day.

Moving past some people, I spotted Sam standing in the crowd and ran over to him just as a few people rolled a body bag past us. I covered my mouth, my eyes going wide.

"What happened?" I asked, feeling panicked.

"Paul...it was Paul." Sam muttered, putting an arm around me.

"Oh my god..." I breathed, scanning the small crowd, not wanting to stare at the body bag any longer than I already had, when I saw Dean talking to someone next to him. He glanced over, his eyes meeting mine for a second, before he looked back at the person he was talking to, saying something that I couldn't hear.

* * *

Since all the employees were allowed back in the building, I sat in my cube, staring at the screen. I couldn't make myself move. I couldn't think about anything but Paul. I felt the tears spring to my eyes. How could anyone...do what he did?

I heard Sam move in his chair next to me, so I rolled mine out, needing a distraction. I didn't get one though.

"Hey. Why would someone kill themselves two weeks before they were supposed to retire? I mean, Paul was two weeks from freedom. He should have been happy, right?" Sam asked both Ian and I.

"I don't have time for this, Sam." Ian muttered, typing away furiously at his keyboard.

"What's with you, Ian?" I raised an eyebrow, watching as he barely even glanced back at me.

"I'm working. It's important."

"What? Did HR bust your balls or something? I mean, you're wearing the shirt...? Come on, we were the only two rebels in here." I said with a chuckle before looking a little closer at him, noticing how different he looked. "Did you shave?"

Ian's phone rang, and he quickly answered it. "Tech support, this is Ian. Be right up." He got out of his seat, barely even looking at us. "Gotta go up to twenty-two, speak to a manager."

"Twenty-two? Isn't that Dean Smith's office?" I asked Sam, watching Ian walk away.

Sam smirked. "I don't know...is it?"

"Oh, shut up." I mumbled, scooting back into my cube.

* * *

Not too long later, they'd made an announcement that there was another death in the building. Sam and I quickly followed a group of people upstairs where the death had occurred. Before I even really saw anything, Sam grabbed me gently, pulling me to his side when I noticed it was Ian they were putting into a body bag.

"Oh my god." I mumbled, tears filling my eyes. This is impossible. "Sam, something weird is going on here."

"Yeah." Sam replied, staring across the room. I followed his gaze to Dean Smith, who was talking to a police officer, looking quite pale.

After that Sam and I went back down to our cubes, but again, I couldn't work. I just sat there, with my head in my hands. This was insane. First Paul, now Ian? Why?

I barely even heard Sam's phone ring, let alone him answer it when he started tugging on my sleeve. "Come with me."

"Where?"

"Dean Smith wants to talk to us."

"Why?" I asked, following him over to the elevator. Sam just shrugged in response.

A few minutes later the two of us were standing in front of Dean's office. Sam glanced back at me before reaching up to knock on the double doors.

"Come on in."A voice called from inside.

Sam opened the door, peeking in first. "Hey-"

"Get in and shut the door." Dean said, standing behind his desk. Sam moved inside, waiting for me to enter before shutting the door behind me. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm not sure I know." Sam shrugged.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Sam Wesson. I started here three weeks ago."

I pulled in a deep breath. "I'm-"

"Victoria Oliver." Dean said, the tips of his ears getting red as soon as my name slipped past his lips.

"How do you-"

"I read your resume."

"But not his?" I asked, pointing to Sam.

"No." Dean replied quickly.

"O...kay." I mumbled, trying to ignore the way Sam was grinning at me. "Then you know that I started here about three weeks ago, too."

"Yeah." Dean nodded, looking back at Sam. "Alright. You cornered me in the elevator talking about ghosts. And now..."

"Now, what?"

"Now nothing. I, uh- so you started working here three weeks ago, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, me too." Dean muttered, unscrewing the top of a bottle. I raised an eyebrow at the green liquid, scrunching my nose a bit. "It's the Master Cleanse. You tried it?"

"Can't say I have." I mumbled, staring at the green liquid as he took a swig. It quite honestly looked disgusting, reminding me of blended up grass and dirt.

"You should. It's phenomenal. Detoxes you like nobody's business."

"Thanks...that's a – that's nice to know." I said, looking away. Talk about _oversharing_.

"When you were in that bathroom with Ian, did you see something?" Sam asked.

"I don't know." Dean shook his head. "I don't know what I saw."

"Wait. Are you saying that- that you saw a ghost or something?" I asked, feeling slightly confused with the point of this conversation.

"I was freaking out. The guy penciled his damn neck."

"You did, didn't you?" Sam asked, stepping closer to the desk. "Okay, listen. What if these suicides aren't suicides? I mean, what if they're something _not_ natural?"

"So, what, ghosts are real? And they're responsible for all the deaths around here? Is that what you're saying?" I asked, watching as Dean and Sam sat down at the same time. I stared at them for a moment, my brow furrowed as I let out a breath, sitting in the chair next to Sam.

"I know it sounds crazy. But yes. That's what I'm telling you."

"Uh-huh. Based on what?" Dean asked.

"Instinct." Sam said confidently.

Dean looked down, thinking something over. After a few seconds, he glanced back up. "I've got the same instinct."

"Seriously?" Sam asked. Dean nodded, looking over at me. Sam followed his gaze, and they both stared at me like I was supposed to say something.

"What? What do you want me to say? That I think something weird is going on here? 'Cause you know I do. But... _ghosts? Instinct?_ What _instinct_? Listen, I'm not _J-Love_...and I hate to break it to you guys, but you aren't either."

"If anyone was going to believe me about this, Tori, I know it'd be you." Sam said, looking into my eyes. "I know you think this is all more than just some weird coincidence. You have to feel _something_ here."

I took in a deep breath, nodding as I let it out. This was absolutely insane, but I couldn't deny my gut feeling. "Yeah, I guess."

"You know those dreams I was telling you about? I was dreaming about ghosts." Sam continued, turning back to Dean.

Dean nodded, taking another sip of his drink. "Yeah."

"And then it turns out that there's a real ghost."

"So you're telling me that your dreams are special visions and you're some kind of psychic?"

"No. I mean, that would be nuts. I'm just saying something weird is definitely going on around here, right? So I've been digging around a little." Sam said, pulling some papers out of his messenger bag.

I sat there in slight shock listening to their conversation. I couldn't believe what I was hearing right now and I couldn't help but feel completely panicked at the thought of all this.

Because for some insane reason, I believed it to be possible.

"I think I found a connection between the two guys." Sam said, placing some papers on the desk.

"You broke into their email accounts?" Dean asked.

"I used some skills that I happen to have to satisfy my curiosity."

Dean nodded appreciatively "Nice."

"Yeah. Okay. So it turns out Ian and Paul both got this same email telling them to report to HR, room fourteen forty-four."

"HR's on seven." I said.

Sam nodded, glancing over at me with an excited look in his eyes. "Exactly."

"Should we go check this out?" Dean asked, his eyes lighting up.

"Like right now?" Sam asked, edging out of his seat.

" _Now_?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. These two were acting like five year old's hyped up on sugar.

"No. No, it's getting late." Dean muttered, looking down at his lap. "You're right."

"I am dying to check this out right now." Sam said quickly.

"Right?" Dean asked, standing up along with Sam. I sat there, shaking my head at what I'd just witnessed.

They want to go ghost hunting? This is ridiculous.

"Whoa, whoa. Hold up." I said, standing. The two of them stopped at the door, turning to face me.

"What?" Sam asked.

"What are you guys the _Ghostbusters_ now or something? You don't know anything about this. You don't know what the hell you're doing." I said, putting my hands on my hips. "It could be dangerous."

Sam nodded, thinking about what I'd said for a moment, before taking a breath. "So, you coming?"

"Of course." I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Someone's gotta make sure you two don't get yourselves killed."

Dean shot me a small smile as I walked over to them, the three of us moving down the hallway, with Sam to my left and Dean to my right. As dumb as it might sound, I couldn't help but feel that something about this just felt...right.

Suddenly we heard commotion and a man yelling coming from down the hall and went running towards it. In front of room 1444, the sounds of a the man yelling for help sounded from the inside. I tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge.

"It's locked." I said, turning the handle.

"Watch." Sam said, moving me out of the way before kicking the door open.

"Whoa." Dean muttered, his eyes wide.

"Way to go, _Herc_." I mumbled.

As we entered we saw a security guard pinned underneath a shelf. The three of us lifted it off of him when Dean suddenly went flying across the room. Sam was pushed back a few feet, and I felt myself get pushed back a bit, too. I turned to see an old man walking over to the guy who was still on the ground, his hands sparking lightning.

Quickly, I got up, grabbing the closest thing I could find on the shelf and swung it at the old man. Watching him disappear right before my eyes. I dropped the wrench in shock as Dean and Sam helped the guard to his feet.

"How'd you know how to do that?" Dean asked.

I shrugged. "I have no idea."

* * *

 **DEAN'S APARTMENT – NIGHT**

Once we made sure the man got out okay and was able to drive, Dean brought us over to his apartment in his car. Once there, I sat on Dean's couch, still in shock from the events from before. Sam sat at the dining room chair, his head in his hands.

Dean got another one of his weirdo detox drinks out of the fridge, glancing back at Sam. "Holy crap, dude."

"Yeah. I could use a beer." Sam muttered.

"I second that." I mumbled, resting my head back on the couch with my eyes closed.

"Oh, sorry. I'm on the cleanse. I got rid of all the carbs in the house." Dean said.

"Are you serious?" I asked, glancing up at him as he nodded, handing me a bottle of water with a small, sheepish smile on his face. "Alright. Thanks."

"Hey, how the hell did you know that ghosts are scared of wrenches?" Sam asked, looking over at me.

I shook my head, turning on the couch to face them. "Crazy, right? And god job kicking in that door, too. Very _Jet Li_."

"What are you, like a black belt or something?" Dean asked, sitting at his kitchen table.

"No." Sam said, shaking his head. "I have no clue how I did that. It's like...we've done this before."

"What do you mean, before? Like _Shirley MacLaine_ before?"

"No. I- I just can't shake this feeling like I- like I don't belong here. You know? Like I should do something more than sit in a cubicle."

"I think most people who work in a cubicle feel that same way." Dean muttered. I chuckled, taking a sip of my water. Dean glanced over at me, a weirdly happy look in his eyes that I couldn't quite place.

"No. Well, look, it's more than that. Like, I don't like my job. I don't like this town. I don't like my clothes. I don't like my own last name. I don't know how else to explain it, except that...it feels like I should be doing something else. There's just something in my blood. Like I was destined for something different." Sam said, looking between Dean and I. "What about you? You ever feel that way?"

I shrugged. "I can see what you mean."

"I don't believe in destiny. I do believe in dealing with what's right in front of us, though." Dean said.

Sam sighed. "Alright, so, what do we do now?"

"We do what I do best, Sammy. Research."

"Okay." Sam nodded, looking slightly disturbed. "Did you just call me _Sammy_?"

Dean looked confused for a second. "Did I?"

"I think you did. Yeah. Don't."

"Sorry." Dean muttered, pulling his laptop in front of him on the table, opening it.

A few minutes passed of listening to Dean type away on his laptop until I couldn't take it anymore and decided I needed some booze.

"How strong is your willpower, Dean?" I asked getting up from the couch, walking over to lean on the chair next to his.

Dean glanced up at me, a slight timid look in his eyes. "Why?"

"I need three things right about now. A six pack, pizza-" I paused, looking down at the an amused look in Dean's eyes as he glanced up at me. "-and some good sex."

Dean's eyes went wide at the last one and he froze, his mouth popping open slightly. I heard Sam chuckle from across the room as Dean swallowed loudly. "Uh-"

"Since I'm most likely not getting the last one, I really need the other two." I said, an apologetic smile on my face. "So, I know you're like a health nut and all, but-"

"It's fine. You can do whatever you want." Dean said quickly, licking his lips.

"Great. Thanks." I said, leaning over to grab my bag off the floor. I could've sworn I saw his eyes scan over my body, but I'm sure that was just wishful thinking on my part. "You want anything special? Either one of you?"

They both shook their heads and I headed out.

* * *

DPOV

In all honesty, I couldn't begin to explain the emotions I was feeling right now. Ghosts were real. One made two men commit suicide, and Victoria Oliver is in my home. I hated to admit it, but that last one made me way more excited than it probably should have.

Every time she smiled, especially when I was the one that put that smile there, I felt a strange sense of pride well up in my chest. I didn't know what the hell that was about.

There were so many times that I'd seen her at work, but I just never really had the time to talk to her, always something work-related that I had to get done. Also, I had no idea if her and Sam were together or not. They always hung around each other and seemed really close. I just assumed they were and I didn't want to get in the way of that.

"So, I know you're like a health nut and all..." Victoria mumbled.

I nodded probably a little too quickly. "You can do whatever you want." _To me._

"Great. Thanks."

Victoria smiled, bending down to pick up her bag, allowing me to pull my eyes over her entire body. I quickly looked away as she stood upright, asking either of us if we wanted anything before leaving. A few moments of silence passed until Sam cleared his throat, catching my attention.

"So, man..." Sam started, walking over to the table.

"Yeah?"

"You like Tori, don't you?"

"What?"

"You do."

"Listen, I- nothing's gonna happen. She's your girlfr-"

"What?" Sam asked, looking surprised.

"She is your girlfriend, right?"

"No. We're just friends. She's like a sister to me."

"Really?" I asked, probably sounding more excited than I should have. I cleared my throat when Sam raised an eyebrow, a small smirk on his face. "Oh, that- that's interesting."

"She's not dating anybody either."

 _Fuck, yes!_

"Oh." I nodded, trying to play it off.

"So, you know, feel free..."

"To…?"

"Ask her out or something." Sam shrugged. "She likes you, dude."

"She does?" I asked, feeling my breath pick up a bit.

"Yeah, she does. But don't tell her I told you that. 'Cause she'd kill me."

"Alright." I laughed, that same strange feeling welling up in my chest as the nerves set in.

Could I really ask her out? With everything going on in my life right now, work and whatnot, I didn't do _dates._ I didn't have enough time for that…

But something told me I could make time..for her.

* * *

TPOV

After getting all my stuff, I knocked on Dean's door, trying to balance the pizza and beer without dropping anything until Sam answered, taking the pizza from me. "Here, let me get that."

"Thanks." I said, closing the door behind me. "How's everything going?"

"Good."

"What'd I miss?"

"Oh, nothing." Sam mumbled, glancing over at Dean as he grabbed a slice of pizza and leaned against the counter.

"Okay..." I muttered, shaking my head at his weird behavior as I grabbed a beer, taking a swig.

"Good pizza."

"Yeah." I nodded, taking a slice before walking over to Dean, sitting down next to him. He stiffened a bit as I did so, his eyes glancing over to me quickly. "Is everything alright?

"Why?" Dean asked. "W-why would things not be alright?"

"You're just acting a little weird, that's all."

"No, I'm not." Dean glanced over at me, chuckling nervously.

"Okay." I shrugged. "Find anything?"

"Actually, yeah."

"Really, what?" I asked, scooting my chair closer to his as Sam stepped behind him.

"I just found the best site ever. Real, actual ghost hunters." Dean said. "These guys are genius. Check it out."

"Instructional videos? Can you even do that with this stuff?" I asked. Dean shrugged, playing one of the videos.

Two men popped up on the screen, one with dark hair, the other with red hair and glasses.

" _We know why you're watching._ " The dark-haired man said.

" _You've got a problem._ " The other muttered.

" _A ghost problem._ "

" _A ghost-related problem. A ghost- it's like a ghost-adjacent pr- it's like a problem that's- and the ghost is-_ "

" _Whatever. You've come to the right place. The only decent place, really, because the Ghostfacers know how to solve it._ "

" _Period._ "

" _Watch and learn._ "

" _See, the first step in any supernatural fight:_ "

" _Figure out what you're up against._ " The dark-haired guy said as Dean paused the video. I grabbed my laptop out of my bag, pulling up an article about the death of Sandover's founder.

"That's him." Dean said, pointing at the picture. "That's the ghost."

" _P. T. Sandover. Died 1916. Devoted his life to his work. No wife, no kids."_ Sam read. " _Used to say he was the company, and his very blood pumped through the building._ "

"Wow, okay. So slight workaholic. Maybe he's still there, you know? Watching over the company, even killing for it."

"Plus, turns out this isn't the first time people started killing themselves in the building." Sam said, looking over my shoulder at the screen. "It happened in 1929."

"Yeah, but lots of guys jumped off lots of high rises that year."

"How many companies had seventeen suicides?" I asked, feeling sick to my stomach.

Dean shrugged, nodding in agreement. "Okay, so P. T. Sandover, protector of the company. His ghost wakes up and becomes active during times of grave economic distress."

Sam let out a breath. "Well, I mean, the worst time we've seen since the Great Depression-"

"Is now. Yeah, now sucks. My portfolio's in the sewer. I don't even wanna talk about it." Dean said, shaking his head. I glanced up at Dean with a small smile on my face, as he smiled back sheepishly.

"So Sandover's helping the bottom line-"

"By zapping some model employees." Dean finished.

"Yeah. Ian and Paul, it was like he turned them into different people." I said.

"Perfect worker bees, exactly. So devoted to the company that they would commit hara-kiri if they failed it."

"One more interesting fact." I said, skimming over the article. "The building wasn't always that high. Used to be fourteen floors. And the room where the ghost attacked, fourteen forty-four? Once upon a time, that was Sandover's office."

"Huh. Okay." Dean nodded, going back to playing the video on his computer.

The dark-haired man continued. " _Once you've got that thing in your sights-_ "

" _You kill it._ " Both men said together.

" _Using special ghost-hunting weapons._ "

" _First, salt._ " The man with the glasses said. " _It's like acid to ghosts._ "

" _Burny acid._ "

" _Not LSD._ "

" _No. It's a bad trip for ghosts. Next up, iron._ "

" _Pure power in your hand._ "

" _Dissipates ghosts instantly._ "

" _Next little trick. We learned this from those useless douchebags-_ "

" _That we hate._ "

" _The Winchesters. Though the girl is pretty hot._ " He stopped, smiling with a far off look in his eyes, before quickly shaking his head when the other guy hit him in the shoulder. " _But we don't talk about that because we hate them._ "

" _Right. Gun._ "

" _Shotgun shell. Pack it up with fresh rock salt._ "

" _Very effective. Winchesters still suck ass, though._

" _Affirmative. Suckage major._ "

"Should we really trust them?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at Sam and Dean. "I mean, they seem like a couple goofballs."

"Goofballs who might actually know what they're talking about." Sam said. "The reason that wrench worked was because it was iron."

"Where do we even get a gun?" Dean asked, looking over to me.

I shrugged. "Gun store?"

"Isn't there like some kind of waiting period or something?"

"I think so."

"Well, how in the hell-"

"I don't know. Seems pretty impossible, honestly." Sam said.

"Right. Back to the video."

" _The aforementioned super-annoying Winchester douchenozzles also taught us this one other thing. You have to burn the remains._ " The red-haired man said.

" _Okay, this next part gets a little gross._ " The other man cringed. " _Sometimes you might have to dig up the body. Sorry._ "

" _It's illegal in some states._ "

" _All states._ "

" _Possibly all states._ "

"Sandover was cremated." I said, looking up at Dean from the news article on my computer.

"So what do we do now?" Dean asked.

" _Now, if the deceased has been cremated_ -" The dark-haired man started, about to answer his question.

" _Don't panic._ " The other said.

" _Don't panic._ "

" _Just gotta look for some other remains._ "

" _A hair in a locket, maybe. Fingernails. Baby teeth._ "

" _That's all for now, folks. Safe travels._ "

" _Ghostafacers, out._ " They both said, the video ending.

"Fingernails? Baby teeth?" I asked feeling a shiver run down my spine. "What the hell?"

Dean shrugged, looking up at me from the computer screen. "Whatever it takes, I guess."

We'd made a plan to get a few hours of rest before heading back to the building. Sam headed into the spare room after offering to sleep on the couch multiple times. I'd said no, not feeling like I was going to get much sleep anyway.

Dean had gone to the bathroom, leaving me sitting on the couch. I turned off all the lights except one, which was pretty dim anyway, and walked over to the large window staring down at the street below, watching as people drove by.

Something about it mesmerizing me. I got a little caught up in it and didn't realize that Dean had walked back into the room until I felt him lightly tap my shoulder. I jumped a bit at his touch, looking up at him.

"Sorry." Dean said, keeping his voice low. "Didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine. I just kind of zoned out there." I chuckled, looking down at the floor.

Dean headed back over to the couch, sitting down by one of the armrests. "You really believe any of this?"

I walked over, sitting next to him on the couch, leaning my head back. "I don't really know what to believe anymore. Sam always told me about his dreams, and I always thought they were just that – dreams. Never did I ever think it would become a reality. What about you?"

"I never even thought about this stuff."

"Not even a little bit? I mean, you never watched like, _Bram Stoker_ and, I don't know, wondered?"I asked with a grin.

Dean laughed. "No, can't say that I have."

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit scared about this whole thing, though."

"We're gonna be fine."

"We could die."

"We're not gonna die."

"How do you know that? This could very well be our last night on this earth."

"I guess..." Dean mumbled, staring at my lips. "I wouldn't let anything happen to you, though."

I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Dean shook his head slightly, as if he realized what he'd just said. "What...?"

"What 'd you just say?" I asked, watching him look at me like he didn't know what I was talking about. Though I could tell he was just trying to avoid it. "About not letting anything happen to me...?"

"Oh, that. It's true, I wouldn't."

"Aw, my hero." I cooed, putting my hands over my heart. Dean waved me off, leaning back on the couch. A few minutes of silence passed when I had a slight flashback of a dream I'd had about him and I and suddenly felt very confident in myself. "What would you do if it was?"

"If what was?"

"If it was your last night on earth?"

"Oh, I don't know." Dean shrugged, looking over at me. He stared down at my lips again, but caught himself this time, looking into my eyes with a sheepish smile.

"I think I know what I'd want to do..."

"W-what's that?"

"I think you know..." I said, running a hand through his hair as he nodded quickly.

"I might have an idea." Dean said, breathing a bit heavier. I gently grabbed the hair at the back of his head, pulling his lips down to mine.

God, this felt better than I could've ever imagined.

Before I knew it, I was on his lap, both of my legs on either side of his. I felt like I hadn't come up for air, but I didn't care at all. This was absolutely amazing. I broke away from his lips for a second to pull my shirt off, leaning back down to kiss him once it was on the floor.

I couldn't help myself and started rubbing myself on his rather impressive bulge. Dean ran his hands down my back, stopping at my hips to hold onto them tightly.

"Wait." Dean moaned around my mouth. I pulled back, looking into his eyes that had turned a much darker shade of green.

"What?" I asked, nipping at his lips.

"We should really head into the bedroom. Just in case...Sam..."

I nodded, having forgotten completely about Sam. "You're probably right."

Dean helped me off his lap and I bent down to grab my shirt. During the short walk to his room, the two of us just couldn't seem to keep our hands off each other and once we finally made it, he shut the door behind me, pushing me against it lightly, beginning to trail kisses down my neck before moving back to my lips, eading me over to the bed where he laid me down gently.

Eventually, we were both stripped completely naked and I ran my hand over his length, squeezing it lightly. Dean moaned in response and I inched down the bed, taking him into my mouth before he could stop me.

"Oh…fuck." Dean breathed, leaning his head back.

After a moment, I slowly kissed my way back up to his lips. Dean placed a hand on my hip, guiding me to lay down in the bed, moving down between my legs, kissing the inside of my thighs before moving inward. I gasped at the contact, grabbing the sheets tightly.

I almost couldn't even believe what was happening right now. I just about started giggling like an idiot, but stopped myself, thinking that'd give him the wrong impression.

Almost as soon as he started, I felt my orgasm bubble in my stomach, releasing waves of pleasure through my body as I ran my hands through his hair, moaning. Dean smiled down at me as he moved back up my body, hovering over me, placing a deep kiss on my lips.

Both of us moaned loudly as he pushed himself inside of me, fitting perfectly. He kissed my neck as he slowly started pumping in and out. I bit my lip, holding onto the tops of his arms as I felt him move inside me, kissing along my jaw, sucking on my bottom lip for a second. It didn't take me long to get the message, kissing him back, running my fingers through his hair.

It almost felt too soon to be happening, but I felt the release built up in me again, like a rubber band just about to snap. Without me having to say a word, Dean started pumping faster, knowing exactly what to do, and before I knew it, I felt myself fall over the edge and moaned louder than I could ever remember, not able to stop myself.

Dean wasn't far behind and joined me in ecstasy not soon after, moaning as he sucked on my collarbone. He was about to move out of me, but I put my hands on his shoulders, holding him against me.

"Just a minute." I breathed out, kissing his arm. I laid my head back onto the pillow, closing my eyes, letting my head lull to the side as I felt him breathing heavily on top of me.

Dean moved to lean on his left shoulder, gently turning my face back to his, bending down to place soft kisses on my lips. Eventually, I felt him slip out of me and he laid next to me.

"You are a god." I muttered, rolling onto my side to face him.

"Well, thank you." Dean chuckled, shaking his head. "You were pretty amazing yourself."

"Would it be weird for me to tell you that I've wanted to do that for a long time?"

"No." Dean smiled. "I have, too."

Just as he was about to bend down to kiss me again, there was a small knock at the door. Both of our eyes went wide, staring up at each other.

"Uh, guys?" A very awkward Sam called through the door. "You, uh – you ready?"

I laughed quietly, resting my forehead on Dean's shoulder as he turned to the door slightly. "Yeah, one minute!"

"Well, that's a little embarrassing." I mumbled, about to get out of bed when Dean pulled me back down to kiss me passionately.

"I wish we had more time." Dean mumbled against my lips. I felt sadness wash over me at his words, unable to stop it.

A strange feeling filling me, almost like I'd heard him say that before, but with a completely different meaning behind them that I couldn't place, and suddenly I found myself fighting off tears.

Dean noticed immediately, concern washing over his features. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head, trying to get rid of those feelings. "Nothing. I-I don't know."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah...just got a weird feeling. I'm fine, Dean. Really." I said, trying to reassure him, even though I wasn't really sure myself. I kissed him lightly, sitting up to put my bra on. "We really should head out before Sam feels the need to come back."

Dean seemed a bit stunned, but agreed. He was probably thinking that he'd just slept with a psycho who cries after sex. I shook my head, trying to find the rest of my clothes that we'd apparently thrown all over the room.

Once we were fully dressed, we headed out into his living room to find Sam sitting there rather awkwardly, his head snapping up when he heard us approach. "Oh, hey guys. Sorry about that...I just wasn't sure if you were gonna come out on your own or not..."

I laughed lightly, brushing it off. "It's fine, Sam. Whatever."

"I'd say sorry, but...I'm not." Dean shrugged, grabbing the stuff we needed before we headed out.

"You okay?" I asked, handing him one of the iron pokers to put into the bag.

"Yeah." Dean smiled down at me, kissing my forehead.

Well, he certainly is very lovable after sex. Not that I minded.

* * *

 **SANDOVER BRIDGE & IRON – NIGHT **

After getting into the building, we made our way to one of the elevators, getting ourselves ready.

"Set your cell phone to walkie-talkie in case we get separated." Dean said, pulling out his phone. Sam and I followed his instructions, feeling my anxiety start build a bit.

"How the hell are we gonna find some ancient speck of DNA in a skyscraper?" I mumbled, voicing what I thought were very legitimate fears.

"Well, that creepy storeroom used to be Sandover's office, right? There has to be something in there."

* * *

Once we made it to the old office, I held my flashlight tightly, looking around the room for something, anything that could possibly contain some of Sandover's DNA. I didn't seem to be coming up with much and headed over to Dean, who was standing behind one of the shelves.

Suddenly one of the night security guards came through the door, spotting Sam easily as he stood in the middle of the room."What the hell are you doing here?"

Dean and I quickly shut off our flashlights, ducking behind some of the boxes on the shelf, sharing a worried look.

"Nothing." Sam said. "I just-"

"Come with me." The man said. I heard the door slam, Dean and I both waiting for the footsteps to lead away from the room before standing upright.

"What the hell do we do now?" I asked.

"Sam will figure something out, okay? Right now, we just have to keep looking." Dean said.

"I guess." I shrugged, getting back to inspecting the office with Dean.

* * *

SPOV

"Man, listen. Look. It's okay. I-I work here." I said, trying to get out of this guys grasp.

"Whatever. Tell it to the cops." He mumbled, dragging me into the elevator.

The screen in the elevator started going static, and I could see my breath in front of me. Suddenly the elevator screecheed to a halt, jolting us forward a bit. The guard took out his key to open the inner doors of the elevator, prying open the outer doors with his hands. I could see that we were stuck between the two floors, watching on as he moved to climb out.

Stopping he, looked back to me. "Well, come on."

"What?" I asked hearing a loud groan come from the elevator.

"Last time this happened, it took them two hours to get here."

"Let's just wait."

I didn't like the looks of this.

The guy started to climb out again, nearly kicking me in the face with his foot as he tried to grab outside of the elevator. Finally, he made his way out, reaching his hand back in for me.

"Seriously, I'll wait." I said, backing up to the wall of the elevator.

"Look, don't have the rest of my life-"

Suddenly the elevator jerked down a few more inches, crushing the guards head. I felt slight panic rise inside me as realized I was completely covered in his blood. I heard static coming from my pocket and reached down to grab my phone.

" _Hey. You okay_?" Dean asked over the speaker.

I was in complete shock and could barely even hold the phone, let alone speak. "Call you back."

* * *

TPOV

I'd been searching through the same box for the past few minutes now, about to give up when I saw a picture of Sandover, looking down at the gloves on his hands, remembering that they were in a glass case down in the lobby.

"Hey, Dean?" I called, showing him the picture when he came over. "Those gloves are here, right?"

"Yeah. I think you figured it out."

"Well, you know." I shrugged cockily, shooting him a small, playful smile.

"Come on."

As we made our way down the hallway, I heard a static coming from my phone and grabbed it out of my pocket. " _Tori, Dean, you there?_ "

"We're here, Sam." I said.

"Listen, I think we got it. Meet us on twenty-two." Dean said as the two of us turned to head over to the elevator.

" _Okay, yeah. Just, uh, take the stairs._ " Sam muttered. Dean and I shared a look and shrugged, heading to the stairs instead.

* * *

Once downstairs, Dean and I were standing in front of the Sandover history display where the gloves sat, waiting for Sam to get here.

"This is going a lot better than I expected." I said, smiling up at Dean.

"See, I told you that no one would be dying tonight." Dean grinned, just as Sam rounded the corner...covered in blood.

My eyes went wide and my mouth dropped open. "Holy shit!"

Dean's expression mimicked my own as he pulled me to his side protectively. "Whoa. That's a lot of blood."

"What happened?"

"I don't wanna talk about it right now." Sam mumbled.

"Right." Dean muttered, pointing to the glass case. "So, uh, in there."

"P. T. Sandover's gloves."

"Yeah, how much you wanna bet there's a little smidge of DNA in there? You know, like a fingernail clipping or a hair or two? Something."

"So you ready?"

"I don't think so." I mumbled.

"I have no idea." Dean admitted, holding me a bit tighter.

"Me neither." Sam shrugged. Dean handed both Sam and I pokers from the bag as Sam grabbed the container of salt. "Go for it."

"Right." Dean nodded. Taking a deep breath, he squeezed me to his side one more time before smashing the glass. I was waiting for something to happen, but it didn't seem like anything was going on.

Suddenly Dean and I went flying across the room in different directions, slamming hard into the walls. I watched at Sandover appeared in front of Sam, pushing him into the wall, his hands sparked as he made his way towards him. Sam grabbed the container of salt next to him and threw some on Sandover, who disappeared.

Dean smiled, standing up. "Oh. Nice."

Everything seemed calm for a second, when Sandover appeared behind him.

"Dean!" I yelled, quickly moving to grab one of the pokers that we'd dropped to throw to him. Dean quickly caught it and swung around, hitting Sandover, who disappeared yet again. "Nice catch."

"Right?" Dean grinned, looking quite proud of himself.

Sam got up, grabbing the other poker off of the ground. I stood, staying close to the wall as Sandover appeared between Sam and Dean, who both quickly turned to hit him with the pokers. I felt slightly paralyzed. I was watching all of this happen, but couldn't seem to make myself move.

Sandover appeared behind Dean, who turned to hit him, but before he could, the ghost quickly appeared behind Sam throwing him into the wall, then doing the same with Dean. Sandover walked up to them, his hands sparking.

Before it could even register, I ran over to the gloves, grabbing them. Sandover turned to face me as I took out my lighter, setting them on fire. I quickly dropped the burning gloves, watching as Sandover burnt up with them.

"Are you okay?" I asked, kneeling between the boys, checking them over.

"That was amazing." Sam muttered from the floor.

"I know, right?" I smiled, looking over to Dean, who nodded, smiling up at me.

* * *

Sam sat on one corner of Dean's desk in his office as Dean pulled the first-aid kit out of one of the drawers, handing it to me as he sat on the other corner so I could patch them up. They only had a few cuts, but it was more than me so I figured I'd do it for them.

"Man, I gotta tell you, I've never had so much fun in my life." Dean muttered, winking at me as I cleaned one of the cuts on his face with an alcohol wipe.

"Me neither." Sam said, shaking his head.

"Was a hell of a workout too, wasn't it?" Dean asked, looking at me.

"Are we still talking about the whole ghost killing thing? Or the thing that happened before that...?" I asked, leaning into Dean's side.

"Okay, really guys?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow at us. I smiled apologetically at him, going back to the first-aid kit to get a couple of bandages. "We should keep doing this."

"I know." Dean nodded.

"It certainly was an experience." I said, leaning against the desk in between the guys.

"I mean it. There gotta be other ghosts out there. We could help a lot of people." Sam said, standing up.

"Right, we'd be like the Ghostfacers." Dean laughed.

"No, really. I mean, for real."

"What? Like, quit our jobs and hit the road?"

"Exactly."

"How would we, you know, live?" I asked.

"Uh..."

"You gotta be kidding me. How would we get by? With stolen credit cards? Huh? Eating diner food drenched in saturated fats? Sharing a crap motel room every night?" Dean asked, slightly miffed.

"That's all just details."

"Details are everything. You don't wanna go fighting ghosts without any health insurance."

I chuckled at that one, shaking my head as Sam let out a heavy breath. "Alright. Um. Confession."

"What?"

"Remember those dreams I told you about with the ghosts?"

"Yeah?"

"I was fighting them." Sam admitted and I watched Dean closely for his reaction.

Dean shrugged, not seeming to care very much. "Okay."

"With you. And her. We were these, like, hunters, and we were friends. More like brothers, really. And you two, you were together. Like, _together_ , together. I mean, what if that's who we really are? I mean, you saw us back there, working together. The ghost was scrambling people's brains. What if it scrambled ours?"

"That's insane."

"Is it? Think about it for just one second. What if we think this is our life, but it's not?"

I sighed, looking up at him. "Sam-"

"No, think about it Tori. Really think."

Dean shook his head, getting up to walk behind his desk. "Hey, man, the ghost is dead and we're still standing. I mean, I'm sorry, but-"

"Look, all I know is this isn't who we're supposed to be." Sam argued.

"No. I'm Dean Smith, okay? Director of Sales and Marketing. I went to Stanford. My father's name is Bob, my mother's name is Ellen, and my sister's name is Jo."

"When was the last time you talked to them? To any of them?"

"Okay, you're upset. You're upset, you're confused-"

"Yeah, 'cause I only moved here 'cause I just broke up with my fiancée, Madison. But I called her number and I got a damn animal hospital."

"Okay. What are you saying? Are you trying to say that my family isn't real? Huh? That we've been injected with fake memories? Come on." Dean shook his head.

"You feel it too, right Tori?" Sam asked, looking at me with his puppy dog eyes. "I know you do. I know you feel like something isn't right. When was the last time you spoke to Cas, huh?"

I shrugged, only being able to recall some of the time my brother and I have spent together, but not the last time I'd actually spoken to him. Maybe Sam wasn't so far off after all. " I don't know..."

"I can see it in your eyes, Tori. You know somethings wrong here."

"Something does feel off..." I muttered, glancing back at Dean who just shook his head at me.

"All I know is, I got this feeling in my gut. And I know- I know that deep down, you gotta be feeling it too." Sam said, looking back up at Dean. "We're supposed to be something else. You're not just some corporate douchebag. This isn't you. I know you."

"Know me? You don't know me, pal. You should go." Dean said, sitting down in his chair. Sam huffed, turning to leave, stopping at the door, looking back at me for a second. I nodded, silently telling him to go, hoping he would get that I wanted to talk to Dean.

Once Sam ad left, I turned around to face Dean, folding my arms across my chest. "You don't think there's any weight to what he's saying at all?"

"It's insane."

"Is it?"

"Are you serious? How can you not think that he's crazy?"

"Because..."

"Because what?"

"Because I do feel something more, okay? I do feel like something's wrong here. I can't explain it. I have memories of my brother, but they're fuzzy. It's almost like I didn't have a life before these three weeks."

Dean looked down at the desk, shaking his head. "It's not possible."

"Really? After what we saw tonight...I'm willing to bet that anything is possible."

"Is it so bad that I don't want to go running around chasing ghosts?" Dean asked, standing up. "Is it so bad to just want something normal?"

"No. But what if we really could help people, Dean?"

"So we sacrifice our own happiness?"

"No. I- I don't know." I shrugged, running a hand through my hair.

Everything was so screwed up, I didn't even know who I was anymore. Dean came around the desk, pulling me into his arms, resting his head on top of mine, holding me close. I wrapped my arms around his waist, leaning into his chest.

This, this right here was not normal for two people who just had a one night stand. I knew that much.

"I'm just saying, Dean. Last night...I felt things that I have never felt before, or at least things I thought I've never felt before. I just feel something with you..." A few minutes passed and I didn't want to move, but I knew I had to go check on Sam. I sighed against his chest, breaking out of his grasp. "I have to get to work."

"Okay. Hey, how about after we go out to dinner or something? Just talk things over." Dean suggested, lifting my chin up to look in my eyes.

I smiled. "Are you asking me on a date?"

"Well, not if you don't want it to be."

I didn't say another word, reaching up to kiss his lips, backing up to the door.

"Well, then it's a date, Winchester." I said, slipping out into the hallway. I furrowed my brow, confused at what I'd just said, peaking my head back in as Mr. Adler walked up the hallway from his office. "What did I just call you?"

Dean was standing in the same spot, looking slightly confused. "I don't know...I think that's the last name of the people the Ghostfasers hate."

"Weird. It just came out..." I laughed. "Sorry...I- I'll see you later."

"Yeah." Dean nodded, shooting me a small smile.

"Morning Mr. Adler." I mumbled, passing him on my way to the stairs.

No way in hell was I ever taking that elevator again, not after what Sam had told me.

"Oh, Miss Oliver?" Mr. Adler called.

"Yes?" I asked, turning to him with a confused look.

"Can you come with me for a second?"

"Um, sure." I nodded, standing beside him as he knocked on Dean's door, opening it with a small grin on his face.

"Got a minute?"

"Sure, of course." Dean nodded, shooting me a questioning glance before sitting down.

"Okay, have a seat." Mr. Adler said, pulling the chair out for me.

"Thanks." I smiled at him, sitting down.

"You might think I don't know who you are."

"Kinda, yeah."

"No, no. I know all of my employees."

"Okay."

"I can sense things, you know." Mr. Adler said, looking between the two of us. "It's against company policy for co-workers to date, you know."

"Mr. Adler, listen, it was my fault." I said, not wanting Dean to get in trouble.

"Was it? Usually takes two to tango."

"I-"

"Listen, I understand kids in love. I was young once, too. I'm gonna let this slide."

"Really?" Dean asked, looking surprised.

"Yes." Mr. Adler nodded. "You know, I really admire the two of you. Putting in hard work, getting things done."

"Thank you."

"And I see the both of you going very far here at Sandover."

I nodded. "Okay."

"I see big things in your futures. Big things. Don't get me wrong, you'll have to work for it. Seven days a week, lunch at your desk, but in eight to ten short years-"

I looked up to Mr. Adler, letting out a breath. "Actually, I'm giving my notice."

"What?"

Dean watched me for a moment before nodding. "Me too."

"This is a joke." Mr. Adler said, his smile falling. "You're kidding me, right? What is this, some sort of strike?"

"No. I've- I recently, uh, very recently realized that I have some other work I have to do. It's, uh, very important to me." Dean said, looking over to me again.

"Yeah." I nodded, smiling at him.

"Other work?" Mr. Adler asked. "Another company?"

"No, I- it's hard to explain." I said.

"It's just that this- this is- it's just- it's not who we're supposed to be." Dean mumbled. Mr. Adler grinned wide as he said that, nodding his head. "What?"

"Oh, finally." He said, pressing a finger to mine and Dean's forehead's. I jerked backward, feeling a pressure release from me.

I looked around to see that I was in an office, glancing up at Dean to see him grimacing at the suit he was wearing, a hand on his stomach. "What the hell? Why am I wearing a tie? My god, am I hungry."

"Welcome back."

I stood up quickly, narrowing my eyes at him."Wait, you're an angel, aren't you?"

"I'm Zachariah."

"Oh, great. That's all we need is another one of you guys." Dean complained.

"I'm hardly _another one_ , Dean. I'm Castiel's superior. Believe me, I had no interest in popping down here into one of these smelly things." He said, looking down at himself. "But after the unfortunate situation with Uriel, I felt it necessary to pay a visit. Get my ducks in a row."

"We are not your ducks." I snapped.

"Starting with your attitudes."

"Oh, so, what? This was all some sort of a lesson? Is that what you're telling us? Wow. Very creative." Dean spat sarcastically.

"You should see my decoupage."

"Gross. No thank you. So, what? We're just hallucinating all this? Is that it?"

"Not at all. Real place, real haunting. Just plunked you in the middle without the benefit of your memories."

"Just to shake things up? Huh? So you guys can have fun watching us run around like ass clowns in monkey suits?"

"To prove to you that the path you're on is truly in your blood. You are hunters. Not because you were forced into the life, not because your dad made you, not because God called you back from hell, but because it is what you are. And you love it. You'll find your way to it in the dark every single time and you're miserable without it. Let's be real here. You're good at this. You'll be successful. You will stop it."

"Stop what? The apocalypse, huh? Lucifer? What? Be specific, man."

"You'll do everything you're destined to do. All of it. But I know, I know. _You're not strong enough. You're scared. You got daddy issues. You can't do it_. Right?"

"Wow, you're an asshole." I spat. Zachariah, narrowed his eyes at me, otherwise letting it go.

"Angel or not, I will stab you in your face." Dean threatened.

"All I'm saying is it's how you look at it. Most folks live and die without moving anything more than the dirt it takes to bury them. You get to change things. Save people, maybe even the world. All the while you drive a classic car and fornicate with your beautiful fiance. Congrats, by the way." He said, smiling at the both of us before looking to Dean again. "You are lucky to have her."

"Yeah." Dean nodded sourly. "I know."

"This isn't a curse. It's a gift. So for God's sakes, quit whining about it. Look around. There are plenty of fates worse than yours. So are you with me? You wanna go steam yourself another latte? Or are you two ready to stand up and be who you really are?"  
….

Once we'd left the office, neither Dean or I said anything to each other, instead trying to make our way out of here as fast as possible. In the lobby, I spotted Sam walking a few feet away, looking confused. I grabbed his arms, turning him around to face me.

That was probably the most hideous yellow shirt I've ever seen in my entire life.

"What are you wearing?" I asked, looking him up and down.

"Where the hell are we?" Sam asked.

"Don't worry about it." Dean said, leading the way as we headed outside.

"I just want to go." I mumbled.

"Me too." Dean nodded as the three of us made our way to the Impala, which was sitting in front of us in the parking lot, getting in, leaving the large building in the rear-view mirror.

* * *

 **This chapter is so long, oh my god. Anyway, I love this episode so I hope I did it justice.**

 **Someone was really excited about _The Monster at the End of_ _This Book_ (which is next) because of Chuck and so am I! Gotta love Chuck ;D**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you liked it!**

 **Twitter: phoenixwrites79  
Instagram: phoenixwritesfanfiction **


	20. The Monster at the End of This Book

_It's funny how I find myself in love with you  
If I could buy my reasoning I'd pay to lose  
One half won't do  
I've asked myself  
How much do you commit yourself?  
…..._

 _Funny how I blind myself  
I never knew  
If I was sometimes played upon  
Afraid to lose  
I'd tell myself what good do you do  
Convince myself  
…._

 _It's my life  
Don't you forget  
Caught in the crowd  
It never ends  
_

 _ **No Doubt – It's My Life**_

* * *

As we entered the comic book store, there was a man pulling a comic book off one of the shelves, looking it over. The owner of this place sat behind the counter, glancing up at us from the book in his hands.

We held up our badges as we walked over to him and he quickly placed the book down. "Can I help you?"

"Sure hope so." Dean said, introducing the three of us. "Agents DeYoung, Shaw and Phillips. Just need to ask you a few questions."

"Notice anything strange in the building, last couple of days?" Sam asked.

The man stared at us blankly before a moment before shrugging. "Like what?"

"Some other tenants reported flickering lights." Dean said.

"I don't think so, why?"

"What about noises?" I asked. "Any scratching noises in the walls? It would sound kind of like rats."

"And the FBI is investigating a rodent problem?"

"What about cold spots?" Sam continued, ignoring the mans skepticism. "Feel any sudden drops in temperature?"

Suddenly, a grin spread across the man's face as his eyes widened slightly. "I knew it! You guys are _LARPing_ , aren't you?"

Dean furrowed his brow, he and I sharing a confused look as he turned back to the guy. "Excuse me?"

"You're fans."

"Of what?" I asked.

"What is _LARPing_?" Dean asked.

"Like you don't know." The man scoffed, rolling his eyes at our confusion. "Live-Action Role-Play! And pretty hardcore, too."

"I'm sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You're asking questions like the building's haunted. Like those guys from the books. _Supernatural_. Two guys and a girl, use fake IDs with rock aliases, hunt down ghosts, demons, vampires. What are their names? Uh, Steve, Dirk and Tina? Sal, Dane and Tara?

"Sam, Dean and Tori?" I interjected, not really sure how to feel about all of this.

"That's it!"

"And this is a- this is a book?"

" _Books_. It was a series. Didn't sell a lot of copies, though. Kind of had more of an underground cult following." He said, moving over to a table labeled _bargain bin_. The three of us followed along, watching him pull out a small hardcover book, handing it to Dean. "That's the first one, I think."

" _Supernatural by Carver Edlund._ " Dean read, flipping the book over to read the back cover. " _Along a lonely California highway, a mysterious woman in white lures men to their deaths._ "

"Give me that." Sam said, taking the book from Dean before looking back to the store owner. "We're gonna need all the copies of _Supernatural_ you've got."

* * *

 **MOTEL – NIGHT**

Sam sat across the room at the table, typing away on his laptop while Dean and I sat on one of the beds, him leading up against the headboard and me sitting cross-legged near the foot of the bed, facing him. After a few mind numbing hours of flipping through books about...our life, I was starting to feel like someone was watching me...more so than usual.

"This is fucking insane. How's this guy know all this stuff?" Dean asked, flipping through another book.

"You got me." Sam mumbled.

I let out a sigh, shaking my head. "Everything is in here."

" _Everything_. From the racist truck to- to Tori and I having sex." Dean said, looking over at Sam, who grimaced.

"It's really, _really_ explicit."

"We're full-frontal in here, dude."

"Details are involved." I mumbled, pulling in a deep breath. "Lots of details."

"Okay, okay." Sam said, stopping us. "Too much information."

"Why haven't we heard of these things before?"

"They're pretty obscure. I mean, almost zero circulation. Uh, started in oh-five. The publisher put out a couple dozen before going bankrupt. And, uh, the last one – _No Rest For The Wicked_ –" Sam paused, looking over at Dean. "Ends with you going to hell."

"I reiterate. Fucking insane." Dean said, heading over to the table, going through the fan site that Sam was on. I turned around on the beg, swinging my legs over the end of it, resting my elbows on my knees. "There's actually fans. There's not many of them, but still. Did you read this?"

"Yeah."

"Although for fans, they sure do complain a lot. Listen to this – _Simpatico_ says _the demon story line is trite, clichéd, and overall craptastic_. Yeah, well, screw you, _Simpatico_. We lived it.

"Yeah. Well, keep on reading. It gets better."

"There are _Sam girls_ , _Dean girls_ and..." Dean paused, his eyes widening for a moment before he glanced over at me. "There are _Tori girls_."

"What the hell does that even mean?" I asked.

"I don't know, but it sounds good to me." Dean smiled, looking back at the screen. "Hey, what's a slash fan?"

"As in...Sam-slash-Dean." Sam cleared his throat. "Together."

"Like, together, _together_?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, my god that's- that's just wrong." I mumbled, a grimace on my face.

"They do know we're brothers, right?" Dean asked, thoroughly disgusted.

"Doesn't seem to matter." Sam shrugged, looking over to me. "There are also fans of you and me together."

"...why?"

"I don't know, it's pretty disgusting." Sam mumbled, a grimace on his face.

"Thanks, Sam." I scoffed, pretending to be offended.

"You know what I mean."

"Believe me, I know. You're gross." I said jokingly.

"So are you." Sam retorted, glancing back to the computer for a moment as Dean continued to scroll down the website. "It gets worse."

"How?"

"Oh no." Dean muttered, his eyes going wide as he stared down at the screen.

"What now?"

"I just found _worse._ "

"Which is?"

"All three of us." Dean said vaguely.

"Doing what?"

Sam cleared his throat again, looking uncomfortable. "You know..."

My eyes widened as the realization dawned on me. " _Oh_."

"Yeah."

"Oh, no."

Dean slammed the laptop shut, shaking his head. "We got to find this Carver Edlund."

"Yeah, that might not be so easy." Sam muttered.

"Why not?"

"No tax records, no known address. Looks like _Carver Edlund_ is a pen name."

"Well, he got the books published...somehow." I said, standing to my feet. "So somebody's gotta know who he really is."

* * *

 **PUBLISHER'S HOUSE – DAY**

The publisher, a pretty woman with long brown hair tied up on top of her head stood in front of us, had been staring at Sam and Dean, very obviously undressing them with her eyes from the very moment we walked into this place. If she thought she was being subtle about it, she was failing miserably and I almost found it funny until I remembered why we were here.

Someone had written every part of our lives down and sold the story.

"So you published the _Supernatural_ books?" Sam asked.

"Yup. Yeah. Gosh, these books...you know, they never really got the attention they deserved. All anybody wants to read anymore is that Doctor Sexy, M.D. crap." She scoffed. "Please."

"Right. Well, we're hoping that our article can...shine a light on an under-appreciated series."

"Yeah, yeah, because, you know, if we got a little bit of good press then m-maybe we could start publishing again."

"God, no." Dean complained, quickly trying to backtrack. "I mean, why would you want to do that? It's such a complete series, what with Dean going to hell and all." I glanced up at Dean, narrowing my eyes slightly. He just shrugged, looking back to the woman as her eyes started tearing up.

"Oh, my god, that was one of my favorite ones. Poor Tori. Oh, it was horrible to see her so upset. She's been through so much, but she's so strong. And so was Dean. He was so sad and brave. How he asked Tori to marry him right before being ripped to shreds." She paused, holding a hand over her heart. I glanced down, remembering that night all to clearly, even now. "It was so sweet. But so sad. Oh, and Sam...I mean, the best parts are when the boys cry. You know, like in _Heart_ , when Sam had to kill Madison, the first woman since Jessica he really loved. And in _Home_ , when Dean had to call John and ask him for help."

As the woman droned on, I patted both Sam and Dean's backs lightly, trying to comfort them with all the memories she was stirring up.

"Gosh...if only real men were so open and in touch with their feelings." She finally finished.

"Real men?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I mean, no offense. How often do you cry like that, huh?"

I raised an eyebrow, shrugging slightly. "Well-"

Dean gently nudged me in the side with his elbow, shooting the woman a small, sarcastic smile. "Well, right now, I'm crying on the inside."

"Is that supposed to be funny?" She asked.

"Lady, this whole thing is funny."

"How do I know you three are legit, hm?"

"Oh, trust me. We're legit."

"Well, I don't want any smart-ass article making fun of little Tori and my boys."

"Little Tori and _your_ boys?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"We would never." Sam interjected, shooting me a look. "We are actually...big fans."

"You've read the books?"

"Cover to cover." Dean nodded.

"We know everything." I added.

"What's the year and model of the car?" She asked, folding her arms.

"It's a 1967 Chevy Impala." Dean answered.

"What's May second?"

"That's my-" Sam paused, catching himself. "That's _Sam's_ birthday."

"January twenty-fourth is Dean's." Dean said.

"October fifteenth is Tori's." I said.

She nodded, thinking over another question. "Sam's score on the LSAT?"

"One..." Sam trailed off, glancing over at Dean and I, seemingly at a loss. "Seventy-four?"

"Dean's favorite song?"

"It's a tie between Led Zepplin's _Ramble On_ and _Traveling Riverside Blues_." I answered.

"What's does Dean call Tori?"

I glanced up at Dean, seeing him already looking down at me, a small smirk on his face. "Cherry Pie."

"Okay. Why'd he start calling her that?"

"Uh." I mumbled, biting my lip, Dean and I sharing a small wide-eyed look before I turning back to the woman. "Is that really appropriate?"

"We're all consenting adults here." She shrugged. Sam looked over at Dean and I, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Tori made Dean a cherry pie. The end."

"That's not all."

"Okay, I think we've answered enough of your questions-"

"No, go ahead." Sam said, a curious look in his eyes and a small grin on his lips.

God, he had no idea.

"Okay, fine." Dean nodded, smirking at his little brother. "Tori made a joke about Dean liking to eat her pie-"

Sam instantly paled, looking a little green, probably remembering that moment in Bobby's kitchen when he was unaware of what was going on between Dean and I, also that I lied when I said I was lying about asking Dean that. "Oh- oh, god."

Dean grinned, looking down at me. "And Dean started calling her that because, well, he really does love to eat her-"

"Okay!" I exclaimed, placing a hand over his mouth, feeling a smile spread across his lips under my palm. I let out a sigh, looking over to the woman as my face heated up. "Is that enough now?"

"Alright." The woman nodded. "What do you want to know?"

"What's Carver Edlund's real name?"

"Oh, no. I- no. Sorry, I can't do that."

"Listen, we just want to talk to him. Get the whole _Supernatural_ story in his own words."

"He's very private. It's like Salinger."

"Listen, like I said-" I paused, hating myself for what I was about to do, pulling my jacket and shirt aside, showing her my anti-posession tattoo on my left collarbone. "We are big, big fans."

I shot the boys a pointed look, see Dean roll his eyes before pulling his shirt and jacket aside too, along with Sam, showing their tattoo's on their left chest's. The woman stared at them hungrily, licking her lips. I narrowed my eyes at her, pulling Dean's hand away so his shirt would fall back into place, covering his chest.

"Awesome." She smiled, turning and hiking up her skirt, revealing the light pink thong she was wearing along with same tattoo on the side of her right butt-cheek. "I got one too."

"Whoa. You are a fan." Dean nodded, staring down at her. I smacked him, shaking my head as he looked down at me with apologetic eyes.

"Okay." The woman nodded, pulling her skirt back down, turning towards her desk to scribble something on a piece of paper, handing it to Dean. "His name's Chuck Shurley. And he's a genius, so don't piss him off."

* * *

 **CHUCK SHURLEY'S** **HOUSE – DAY**

The three of us got out of the Impala, making our way up the path towards the run-down looking home. I had no idea what to expect, and to be honest, I was a little nervous. This guy knew everything about us, yet we knew nothing about him.

That bothered me more than I'd like to admit and I could tell the boys felt the same.

"You know, I don't know why I thought you guys would have a _nice_ story behind a nickname." Sam complained for the millionth time.

"Oh, get over it." Dean said, rolling his eyes at his brother. We stopped at the door, sharing a look before Dean pressed the doorbell forcefully.

A few moments passed before a disheveled looking man answered, looking up at us in question. "Yes?"

"You Chuck Shurley?"

"The Chuck Shurley who wrote the Supernatural books?" Sam added.

"Maybe." The man mumbled. "Why?"

"I'm Tori." I said. "This is Sam and Dean. You know, the ones you've been writing about."

Chuck quickly shut the door, to which Dean let out a huff, ringing the doorbell again. Chuck opened it, looking nervous. "Look, I appreciate your enthusiasm. Really, I do. It's- it's always nice to hear from the fans. But, uh, for your own good, I strongly suggest you get a life."

Just as Chuck tried to shut the door again, Dean put a hand on it, stopping him. "See, here's the thing. We have a life. You've been using it to write your books."

"Now, wait a minute-" Chuck started as Dean pushed his way into the house, Sam and I following along. "This isn't funny."

"No, it's not." I snapped. "Not at all."

Sam turned to face him, trying to stay neutral. "Look, we just want to know how you're doing it."

"I'm not doing anything." Chuck replied.

"Are you a hunter?" Dean asked.

"What? No. I'm a writer."

"Then how do you know so much about demons? And Tulpas, and changelings?" Dean asked, advancing towards Chuck a little more with every question, causing him to fall back onto his couch.

"Is this some kind of _Misery_ thing? It is, isn't it? It's a _Misery_ thing!"

"No, it's not a _Misery_ thing!" I exclaimed. "We are not fans."

"Well, then, what do you want?"

"I'm Sam. That's Tori and that's Dean." Sam said.

"They are fictional characters. I made them up! They're not real!"

"Okay." Dean nodded, hauling Chuck up off the couch. "Let's go take a look at something."

"What?" Chuck asked, his eyes going wide. "What do you mean?"

"Come on." I mumbled, opening the door for Dean as he brought Chuck to the trunk of the Impala, opening it to reveal the arsenal.

"Are those real guns?"

"Yup." Dean replied. "This is real rock salt, these are real fake IDs."

"Well, I got to hand it to you guys. You really are my number one fans." Chuck said nervously. "That's- that's awesome. So, I- I think I've got some posters in the house."

"Chuck, stop." I said.

"Please, don't hurt me."

"How much do you know?" Sam asked. "Do you know about the angels? Or Lilith breaking the seals?"  
"Wait a minute...how do you know about that?

"The question is how do you." Dean said pointedly.

"Because I wrote it?" Chuck mumbled obviously.

"Wait, you kept writing?" I asked.

"Yeah, even after the publisher went bankrupt, but those books never came out."

"Why?"

"This is some kind of joke, right?"

"I wish it was."

"You're crazy."

"Well, nice to meet you, I'm Victoria Anderson, that's Dean Winchester, and his brother, Sam."

"The last names were never in the books. I never told anybody about that. I never even wrote that down." Chuck mumbled, looking shocked, passing by us to go back into his house.

The three of us followed him in, watching him go right to the kitchen to pour himself a large glass of whiskey, downing it all in one gulp.

As he turned around he saw us, letting out a groan. "Oh, you're still there."

"Yup." Dean nodded.

"You're not a hallucination."

"Nope."

"Well, there's only one explanation. Obviously I'm a god."

"Oh, please. You are not a god." I scoffed.

"How else do you explain it? I write things and then they come to life. Yeah, no, I'm definitely a god. A cruel, cruel, capricious god. The things I put you through- the physical beatings alone. The mental hell."

"Yeah, we're still in one piece." Dean mumbled.

"I killed your father. I burned your mother alive. And then you had to go through the whole horrific deal again with Jessica." Chuck said, looking to Dean and Sam, then me. "And your parents, and- and you, making you kill them. All for what? All for the sake of literary symmetry. I toyed with your lives, your emotions, for... entertainment."

"You didn't toy with us, Chuck, okay? You didn't create us."

"Did you really have to live through the _bugs_?"

"Yup."

I nodded. "Somehow not worse than being possessed though."

"Right. I am- I am so sorry about that-"

"Chuck you didn't do that. You didn't make that happen."

"What about the _ghost ship_? Did you live through that?"

"Yes, that too."

"I am so sorry. I mean, horror is one thing, but to be forced to live bad writing...if I would have known it was real, I would have done another pass."

"Chuck, you're not a god!" Dean exclaimed.

"Then I'm _the_ god."

"Yeah, I don't think so. Aim lower. Much lower." I said. Chuck shot me a strange, almost irritated look before pouring himself another glass of whiskey.

"We think you're probably just psychic." Sam muttered.

"No. If I were psychic, you think I'd be writing?" Chuck asked. "Writing is hard."

"It seems that somehow, you're just...focused on our lives."

"Yeah, like laser-focused." Dean added. "Are you working on anything right now?"

"Holy crap." Chuck mumbled, his eyes going wide.

"What?" I asked.

"The latest book? It's- it's kind of weird." Chuck said, flipping through a few pages of paper stapled together at the top corner.

"Weird, how?" Sam asked.

"It's very _Vonnegut_."

Dean nodded. " _Slaughterhouse-Five Vonnegut_ or _Cat's Cradle Vonnegut_?"

"What?" Sam asked, looking surprised.

"What?" Dean retorted defensively

"Guys." I called, looking back to Chuck.

"It's _Kilgore Trout Vonnegut."_ Chuck said. _"_ I wrote myself into it. I wrote myself, at my house...confronted by my characters."

* * *

Once we'd taken the manuscript from Chuck, we headed over to the local laundromat where Dean was now sitting on one of the tables in the middle of the room while Sam took his clothes out of a washing machine and I folded some of mine.

"I'm sitting in a laundromat, reading about myself sitting in a laundromat, reading about myself. My head hurts." Dean mumbled.

"There's got to be more to this. Whether this guy knows it or not." I said.

" _Tori started to have doubts about the whole situation, wondering if there was more to everything going on than Chuck knew. She let out a heavy breath, folding a pair of her black lace_ _panties."_

My eyes widened as I looked down to my hands, seeing the aforementioned panties in my hands, dropping them like they were a snake about to bite me, turning to look at Dean. "Okay, stop it. This is freaking me out."

"' _Okay_ , s _top it, this is freaking me out' Tori_ _said._ " Dean continued to read while I let out a huff, going back to my clothes. " _Tori_ _turned her_ _back on Dean, letting out a huff_ _as she became irritated and moody_. I mean, I don't know how he's doing it, but this guy is doing it. I can't see your face, but those are definitely your _irritated and moody_ shoulders."

 _Dick_.

"You just thought I was a dick."

"I gotta give it to him, this guy's good." I mumbled, glancing back to Dean with a small, sheepish smile, folding my last shirt up before going over to him, resting a hand on the table he was sitting on.

" _Tori folded up her last shirt, placing it on a pile of others before going over to Dean, leaning beside him. Sam moved to throw his giant darks into the dryer, passing them_ _on the way, something sparkling on Tori's_ _hand catching his eye_ \- oh." Dean stopped suddenly, clearing his throat.

"What's that?" Sam asked, staring down at my left hand.

I followed his gaze to the ring that now sat on my finger, peering back up at him. "Oh, uh-"

Sam's mouth open and shut a few times, looking between Dean and I. "Are you- did you- are you- are you guys egaged?"

"Yeah." I nodded.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah." Dean interjected.

"Honestly?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Yes, Sam! Jesus Christ."

"Oh my god!" Sam smiled, a happy look flooding into his eyes as he pulled both Dean and I in for a hug.

"Fucking- Sam, come on." Dean complained, pushing his brother away.

The smile didn't leave Sam's face as he moved back, play-punching Dean's shoulder. "Took you long enough, you idiot."

"Shut up." Dean mumbled, rubbing his arm while I chuckled. "I know."

"I'm really happy for you guys."

"Thanks, Shorty." I smiled, fluffing his hair. He looked a little taken a-back by that gesture, considering I hadn't done that in some time, but quickly smiled back at me.

Dean picked up his phone, which was vibrating next to us on the table. "Yeah? What?"

"Who is it?" Sam asked.

"Okay. We'll be right there." Dean let out a breath, hanging up the phone. "That wasn't in the script."

"Who was it?"

"Chuck. He asked if we could go back to his house."

"Why?"

"Because he wrote something else."

* * *

 **CHUCK'S HOUSE – DAY**

Inside his living room, Chuck paced back and forth nervously in front of us, looking as though he was trying to build up courage to speak, holding more pages in his hands.

"So, you wrote another chapter?" Sam asked.

Chuck sighed. "This was all so much easier before you were real."

"We can take it. Just spit it out." Dean said.

"You two, especially, are not gonna like this." Chuck said, looking at Dean and I.

"I didn't like hell."

"I didn't like seeing him in hell." I added with a shrug.

"It's Lilith." Chuck muttered. "She's coming for Sam."

"Coming to kill him."

"When?" Sam asked.

"Tonight." Chuck replied.

"She's just gonna show up?" Dean asked. "Here?"

"Uh, let's see, uh-" Chuck mumbled, slipping a pair of glasses on, picking up another manuscript. " _Lilith patted the bed seductively. Unable to deny his desire, Sam succumbed, and they sank into the throes of fiery demonic passion._ "

"You're kidding, right?" Sam laughed.

Dean looked over at his brother, his eyes hard. "You think this is funny?"

"You don't? I mean, come on, _fiery demonic passion_?"

"It's just a first draft." Chuck defended himself.

"Wouldn't be the first time you've had sex with a demon." I interjected, gaining a harsh glare from Sam.

"Wait, wait." Dean called. "Lilith is a little girl."

"No, uh, this time she's a comely dental hygienist from Bloomington, Indiana." Chuck said.

"Why does she always have to be from Indiana?" I asked with a huff.

"She knows it bothers you."

"So what happens after the _fiery demonic_ whatever?" Dean asked.

"I don't know, it hasn't come to me yet."

"Guys, look, there's nothing to worry about." Sam said, looking to Dean and I. "Lilith and me? In bed?"

"How does this whole psychic thing of yours work?" Dean asked Chuck, ignoring his brother.

"You mean my process?" Chuck asked.

Dean rolled his eyes, about to say something else when I placed a hand on his arm, looking to Chuck. "Sure, yeah. You're _process._ "

"Well, it usually starts with a headache. A really bad headache. Aspirin is useless, so I drink. Until I fall asleep. The first time it happened, I thought it was just a crazy dream."

"The first time you had a dream about us?"

"It flowed. It just, it kept flowing. It still does. I-I can't stop it, really."

Sam shook his head. "You can't seriously believe-"

"Look, why don't we, we just-" Dean paused, barely holding his hand up before Chuck held the manuscript out to him. "Take a look at these and see what's what...you-"

"Knew you were gonna ask for that?" Chuck finished. "Yeah."

* * *

 **ROAD – DAY**

"Guys, come on." Sam said, glancing over at Dean from the passenger seat as he drove the Impala down the road, beginning to read from the pages in his hands. " _The minivan accident wasn't that bad, but Dean were still seeing stars. Tori looked over at him, seeing him scratch absently at the pink flower Band-Aids on his face._ "

"So?" Dean asked.

"Dean I've seen you gushing blood. You'd use duct tape ad bar rags before putting on a pink flower band-aid."

"What's your point?"

"My point is this, all of this, is totally implausible. It's nuts."

"He's been right about everything else so far." I shrugged.

"You believe this crap?"

"I don't know. You had visions, why can't he?"

"Exactly." Dean nodded. "You think he's just gonna ground out at first now?"

Sam let out a scoff, continuing to read. " _Dean slid behind the wheel of his beloved Impala, Tori in the passenger seat,_ _and drove off, the plastic tarp on the rear window flapping like the wings of a crow._ "

"A tarp?"

"Yeah. On the rear window. And you drive it like that."

"Well, he might be wrong about the details, but doesn't mean he's wrong about the end result."

"So we're just gonna run?"

"We're a long way a way from ready for a death match with Lilith, Sam." I said as Dean slowed the Impala to a stop as we approached a roadblock, a deputy making his way over to the car.

"What seems to be the problem?" Dean asked.

"Bridge is out ahead."

"We're just trying to get out of town."

"Yeah, afraid not."

"There's no other way of getting out?" I asked, leaning forward.

"Nope."

"You're joking, right? There's got to be a way out of here." I said, starting to get nervous. There was no way we could go up against Lilith. Not yet.

To be honest, I was afraid of what Sam would do.

"Nope." The cop repeated.

"There's not a side road that takes us to the highway?" Dean asked, glancing back at me for a split second, but I saw the worry in his eyes. His thoughts probably weren't too far off from my own.

"To get to the highway, you have to cross that river. To cross the river, you have to take that bridge."

"How deep is the river?"

"Sorry. Afraid you kids are gonna have to spend the night in town."

* * *

 **DINER – NIGHT**

After driving aimlessly, we decided to get some dinner. Dean and I sat next to each other in the booth, the both of us looking over the manuscript while Sam read from the menu.

"Hey, this could be a good thing." Dean said. "I mean, if this is what puts us on the path to Lilith, then all we got to do is get off the path."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, glancing up.

"It's a blueprint of what not to do. I mean, if the pages say that we go left-"

"Then we go right."

"Okay. We get off the script, we never make it to the end." I nodded, pulling the manuscript in front of me. "It says we get into a fight, so no fighting."

Dean smirked. "No research for you."

"No bacon cheeseburger for you." Sam retorted.

"Yeah, no problem. I'll just order something else." Dean mumbled as the waitress walked up to the table, a smile on her face. "Hi, uh, what's good?"

"Well, if you like burgers, Oprah's girlfriend said we have the best bacon cheeseburgers in the country." She said.

"Really?"

"I'll just have the cob salad, please." Sam said, glancing over at Dean with a smirk.

Dean sighed dejectedly. "I'll have the...veggie tofu burger."

"I'll have one, too." I smiled, handing her the menus, bumping my shoulder into Dean's. "We can suffer together."

"Thanks, babe."

"Sure thing."

"Says you two kiss." Sam announced, reading from the manuscript that I hadn't even realize he'd taken from me. "No kissing."

"Right." I sighed, scooting further away from Dean in the booth.

"Guys, this whole thing's ridiculous."

"Yeah, the whole _no kissing, no burgers_ thing is, but Lilith isn't."

"The idea of me hooking up with her is."

"Right." Dean scoffed. "'Cause something like that can never happen."

"You know, I already heard that from her." Sam said, nodding to me.

"Hey, it happened." I shrugged.

"For the first time, we have warning that Lilith is close. We've got the jump on her. If we know when she's coming- this is an opportunity."

"Are you-" Dean paused trying hard not to get angry. "It frustrates me when you say such reckless things."

"Well, it frustrates me when the both of you would rather hide that fight."

"Well, it frustrates _me_ that you don't ever listen to us." I said, annoyed. "Not fighting is the best option here."

"How?"

"Because we aren't ready, Sam."

Just then the waitress came up placing out plates in front of us. "Cobb salad for you. And the tofu veggie burgers for you guys."

"Thank you."

"It's not hiding. It's being smart. It's picking your battles. This is a battle that we are not ready to fight." Dean said once the waitress had left, his eyes widening in surprise after he'd taken a huge bite. "Oh, my god. This is delicious. Tofu is amazing!"

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay..." I trailed off, taking a small bite out of my veggie burger. It tasted a little bland, but wasn't so terrible. "I wouldn't say it's amazing."

"I am so sorry." The waitress called, making her way back over to the table, moving to grab Dean's plate. "I gave you the bacon cheeseburger by mistake."

Sam, Dean and I all shared a look of shock. What if we really couldn't get away from this?

* * *

 **TOREADOR MOTEL – NIGHT**

The motel we stood in front of was, in no uncertain terms, completely and totally sleazy. But we had no other choice. But God, I wish we did.

"Dude, this place charges by the hour." Sam said as we entered the dingy room.

"Yeah, well, the book says Lilith finds you at the Red Motel. Hence, the hooker inn." Dean said, dropping one of the bags he held onto the floor. I bent down, pulling out some hex bags, handing them to him so he could start placing them around.

"What are you doing?"

"Lilith-proofing." I told Sam. "Hex bags."

"So, what? I'm supposed to just hole up here all night?"

"That's exactly what you're gonna do, okay? And no research. I don't care what you do – use the magic fingers or watch Casa Erotica on Pay-Per-View." Dean said, pulling Sam's laptop out of the bag with a smile.

"Oh, dude, come on."

"Just call it a little insurance. Behave yourself, Sammy." Dean grinned. "No homework. Watch some porn."

"What are you guys gonna do?"

"Well, the script says that we go park the Impala somewhere and make out." I said, standing upright. "So, we're not gonna do that."

"Oh, yeah?"

"We are capable of controlling ourselves, Sam."

"Yeah, okay." Sam scoffed, petulantly folding his arms.

"Be good." I said, Dean and I leaving the motel room. Just before we got to the Impala, I stopped, looking around. "Maybe I should stay back."

"Why?" Dean asked, turning to face me.

"I don't know. I just have a bad feeling about all of this."

"Yeah, me too." Dean sighed, pulling me a little closer to him. "It'll be okay."

"You're totally lying." I mumbled, gently pushing him away. "Get off of me, no psychical contact, remember?"

"Right."

The both of us got into the Impala, driving around for a bit until we found a park with a few stores next to it. We parked the Impala across the street, heading over to a bench to stay as far away from the car as possible.

I mean, we weren't about to start making out on a picnic bench...well, we would, but not with a bunch of kids around.

Okay...maybe we would but we couldn't now and we knew that.

Just to be safe, we decided to forgo the park, heading into one of the stores. At least if we were walking around, it would keep us busy. We'd only been in there for a few minutes when I heard Dean let out a low curse. I followed his gaze out of the store windows to the Impala, seeing a couple teenage boys trying to break into it.

Dean immediately headed towards the door, and I was about to follow along, but he waved me off, stopping me. "I'll just go, you stay here."

"Dean, they're not gonna hurt me."

"Oh, I know. I just don't think we should be so close to the car together..."

"Right. Okay." I nodded, watching Dean for a moment as he headed over to the Impala, looking away with a sigh.

A few more moments passed that I spent looking at random things on the shelves of the small trinket shop when suddenly, a few people let out loud gasps. I looked up, seeing Dean lying on the ground not moving with a woman and young girl standing beside him. I rushed out of the store, my eyes widening when I saw the girl placing another one of the many pink band-aids on Dean's face just as I made my way to them.

But I ignored that, nearly pushing the mother and daughter out of the way as Dean's eyes fluttered open. "Stars?"

"What?" The woman, who I now saw was wearing giant star shaped earrings, asked.

"What happened?" I asked.

The woman indicated to the van parked off on the side of the road. "I just didn't see him. I'm so sorry."

I shook my head at her, kneeling down next to Dean. "Baby, are you okay?"

"Y- yeah." Dean murmured, sitting upright.

"Oh, thank god." I sighed, absentmindedly placing a kiss on his lips. I pulled back quickly, my eyes wide as I realized what I did. "Crap. That totally wasn't making out, right?"

"Sorry about the..." The woman trailed off, gesturing to the side of her face as she looked at Dean. "M-My daughter's going through a doctor phase."

Dean furrowed his brow in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"You're all better now." The girl smiled as I plucked one of the band-aids off, showing it to him.

"Crap."

I sighed, glancing over across the street to the Impala, seeing the back window completely smashed in. "Oh, no."

"What?" Dean asked, following my gaze, immediately fuming as he stood up quickly.

"Be careful, Dean." I called, following him over to the car.

"Shit. Fucking shit. Were fucked."

I just grimaced, not able to disagree with him. We kind of were.

* * *

 **CHUCK'S HOUSE – DAY**

On our way to Chuck's house, I was trying to ignore the fact that Dean was driving the Impala, banged up from a minivan running into him and a tarp covering the shattered back window of the Impala... _flapping like the wings of a crow_. Nothing was said the whole drive, the both of us angry and frustrated.

As soon as Dean pulled in front of Chuck's house, he threw the car in park, storming out off the car with me right behind him. Just before we got to the front door, it opened up, Chuck standing there staring up at us.

"You look terrible." Chuck mumbled, staring up at him.

"That's cause I just got hit by a minivan, Chuck." Dean said, pushing Chuck aside so we could enter.

"Oh."

"That's it?" Dean snapped. "Everything you write about us comes true and all you have to say is _oh_?"

"Please don't yell at me." Chuck cowered.

"Why do I get the feeling that there's something you're just not telling us?" I asked.

"What wouldn't I be telling you?"

"How you know what you know! Psychics are one thing, but you know every little thing. Every time we so much as breathe, you know. How is that possible?"

"I don't know how I know, I just do!"

"That's not good enough." Dean said, shoving Chuck against the wall. "How the hell are you doing this!?"

Suddenly, the ringing in my ears snapped to the forefront and I turned around, not surprised to see Castiel there. "Dean, let him go. This man is to be protected."

"Why?" Dean asked, releasing Chuck, who was looking at Cas with wide eyes.

"He's a Prophet of the Lord."

"You- you're Castiel... aren't you?" Chuck asked in astonishment.

"It's an honor to meet you, Chuck. I...admire your work." Castiel replied, picking up one of the Supernatural books off the coffee table, flipping through it.

"This guy, a prophet? Come on, he's- he's practically a Penthouse Forum writer." Dean said.

" _Aim lower_ , huh?" Chuck asked me with a raised eyebrow.

"That's still a hell of a lot lower than the creator of everything, Chuck." I said. "Did you know about this?"

"I might have dreamt about it."

"I knew it!"

"And you didn't say anything!?" Dean spat.

"Please, don't tell at me." Chuck mumbled. "It was too preposterous. Not to mention arrogant. I mean, writing yourself into the story is one thing, but as a prophet? That's like _M. Night_ -level douchiness."

"This is the guy who decides our fate?" Dean asked Cas as Chuck started drinking straight from a bottle of whiskey.

"He isn't deciding anything." Castiel replied. "He's a mouthpiece – a conduit for the inspired word."

"The word?" I asked. "Like the new, _new_ testament?"

"One day these books, they'll be known as the Winchester gospel."

"You're joking right?"

"I don't...joke."

"If you'll please excuse me one minute." Chuck mumbled, clutching the bottle to his chest as he disappeared upstairs.

"Him?" Dean asked. "Really?"

"You should've seen Luke." Cas muttered.

I furrowed my brow, looking to Cas. "What was wrong with Luke?"

"He was...a strange man."

"More strange than that mess?" I asked, pointing to the stairs where Chuck had gone.

"Not quite, I suppose."

"Why'd he get tapped?" Dean asked.

"What?" Castiel asked.

"Why is Chuck a prophet?"

"I don't know how prophets are chosen. The order comes from high up on the celestial chain of command."

"How high?"

"Very."

"So, like, God-high?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Well, whatever." Dean shrugged it off. "How do we get around this?"

"Around what?"

"The Sam-Lilith love connection. How do we stop it from happening?"

"What the prophet has written can't be unwritten. As he has seen it, so it shall come to pass." Cas said. Dean and I shared a look and I knew the both of us were thinking the same thing. Not if we can't help it.

* * *

 **MOTEL – NIGHT**

As the Impala pulled up in front of the Toreador motel, I noticed that all the letters except for the _r-e-d_ had gone out, leaving the sign to read _Red Motel_. Dean and I shared a tried look before getting out of the car, making our way into the room, finding Sam lying on the bed, looking surprised to see us.

"Guys?"

"Come on, we're getting out of here." Dean said, pulling his brother off the bed.

"What? Where?"

"Anywhere, okay? Out of this motel, out of this town. I don't care if we got to swim, we are getting out."

"Where are all the hex bags?" I asked, noticing that they were gone.

"I burned them." Sam replied simply.

"Excuse me?"

"Look, if Lilith is coming, which is a big _if_ -"

"No, it's more than an _if_. Chuck is not psychic." Dean told him. "He's a prophet."

"What?" Sam asked, looking shocked.

"Cas showed up and apparently Chuck is writing the gospel of _us_."

"Okay."

"Okay, let's get the hell out of here."

"No." Sam said, shaking Dean's hand off his arm.

"Lilith is gonna slaughter you."

"Maybe she will, maybe she won't."

"You think you can take her?" I asked Sam, stepping forward.

"There's only one way to find out, and I say bring her on."

"That's ridiculous, Sam-"

"You think I'll do it, don't you? You think I'll go dark side."

"Yes!" Dean exclaimed. "The way you've been acting lately? The things you've been doing?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I know, Sam. I know how you ripped Alastair apart like it was nothing, like you were swatting a fly." Dean said. Immediately, Sam glared at me, but I shook my head. "She didn't tell me, Cas did. Tori just backed up that it was the truth."

"What else did he tell you?"

"Nothing I don't already know. That you've been using your psychic shit, and you've been getting stronger. We just don't know why, and we don't know how."

"It's not what you think."

"Then what is it, Sam? 'Cause I'm at a total loss." Dean said, heading towards the door, glancing back to Sam. "Are you coming or not?"

"No."

Dean let out a heavy breath, swinging the door open before stepping outside. I looked back to Sam, watching him for a moment until he glanced up at me. "Go ahead, say it."

"I have nothing to say, Sam."

"That's not true."

"You're doing something that's making you this way, and no one knows what it is. Not even the angels. That's terrifying. We're scared Sam. And if you stay here, we're going to lose you."

"It's what I have to do. Lilith needs to die."

"I want her dead too, believe me, I do. But I don't want to lose you in the process." I said, moving back towards the door. "Will you come?"

"...no."

At that moment, I knew that as much as I wished I could, there was no way I could convince Sam to come with us, so I left. I turned around and shut the door behind me as I walked out into the night air. When I didn't see Dean by the Impala, I headed down the small sidewalk separating the motel doors from the parking lot until I found him by a soda machine.

"Dean?" I called, walking over to him.

"Yeah?"

"What do we do?"

"I don't know. I mean, we can't just go and leave him here to die- to die."

"Of course not. How do we make him listen?"

"Maybe we're not the ones who need to make him."

"What do you mean?"

Dean pulled in a deep breath, glancing up to the sky for a moment. "Well, I feel stupid doing this. But...I am fresh out of options. So please. We need some help. I'm praying, okay? Come on. Please."

"Prayer is a sign of faith." Castiel said, appearing behind me. "This is a good thing, Dean.

"Does that mean you'll help us?"

"I'm not sure what I can do."

"Drag Sam out of here, now. Before Lilith shows up."

"It's a prophecy. I can't interfere."

"You have tested me and thrown me every which way. And I have never asked for anything. Not a damn thing. But now I'm asking. We need your help. Please." Dean said desperately.

"What you're asking, it's not within my power to do."

"Why because it's divine prophecy?" I asked, getting irritated with him.

"Yes."

"So, what? We're just supposed to sit around and, and wait for it to happen?" Dean asked.

"I'm sorry."

"Screw you. You _and_ your mission." Dean said, brushing past Cas to walk to the Impala.

"You know, I really thought you were different, Cas. I thought you were starting to understand that you can't win this way. I don't know why, but I did. I guess I was wrong." I muttered, moving to follow Dean.

"Wait." Cas called, stopping us.

"What?" Dean snapped.

"You must understand _why_ I can't intercede. Prophets are very special. They're protected."

"I get that."

"If anything threatens a prophet, anything at all, an archangel will appear to destroy that threat." Castiel said, looking to me pointedly. "Archangels are fierce. They're absolute. They're heaven's most terrifying weapon."

"So archangels, they're tied to prophets?" I asked.

"Yes."

Dean nodded. "So if a prophet was in the same room as a demon-"

"Then the most fearsome wrath of heaven would rain down on that demon." Cas said, glancing to the ground before looking back to us. "Just so you understand...why I can't help."

"Thanks, Cas." Dean said, going over to the driver side of the Impala.

"Really, thank you." I said, reaching out to grab his hand, squeezing it lightly.

Castiel glanced down at my hand on his, what almost looked to be a small smile tugging at the sides of his lips. "Good luck."

In the blink of an eye, Cas was gone and I made my way over to the Impala, a sense of hope filling my chest. At least now we had a good chance of getting out of here in one piece.

* * *

 **CHUCK'S HOUSE – NIGHT**

The Impala was nearly pushed to it's limit as Dean sped over to Chuck's house, not even bothering to shut the car off before he got out, heading to the front door. I turned the car off, quickly following him inside. Chuck, who was sprawled out on the couch, let out a loud shriek as we entered, looking surprised to see us.

"What are you doing here? I didn't write this."

Dean didn't waste any time, grabbing Chuck off the couch roughly. "Come on. You need to come with us."

"What? Where?"

"To the motel where Sam is."

"That's where Lilith is."

"Exactly. And you have to stop her." I said.

"Are you insane?" Chuck asked, looking at me with wide eyes. "Lilith? I know what she's capable of. I wrote her."

"Alright, listen. You have an archangel tethered to you, okay? All you got to do is show up and boom, Lilith gets smoked." Dean quickly explained to him.

"But I-I haven't seen that yet. Th-the story-"

"The story can change." I said. "Chuck you're the only chance we have left."

"But... I'm just a writer."

"This isn't a story anymore, man." Dean said. "This is real. And you're in it. Now, I need you to get off your ass and fight. Come on, Chuck."

"No fucking way." Chuck said, pushing Dean's hands off of him.

"Okay how about this? I have a gun and if you don't come with us I'm gonna blow your brains out." I threatened, stepping closer to him, seeing Dean raise an eyebrow at me.

"I thought you said I was protected by an archangel."

"Let's see who the quicker draw is." I muttered. "Don't fuck with my family."

* * *

The drive to the motel, Chuck sat in the backseat, looking around nervously, his breathing shallow and loud. "What do I say when we get there?"

"You don't have to say anything, Chuck."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm pretty sure." I mumbled. Almost as soon as we pulled into the parking lot, I felt my stomach churn and let out a low groan. "She's here."

"She is?" Dean asked.

"Is your demon sense working?" Chuck asked.

"Shut up." I snapped back at him.

Dean quickly swung the car in front of the building, getting out before pulling a still very nervous looking Chuck out. I held the tops of his arms while Dean kicked the door down, revealing Lilith on top of Sam, a knife on him. I pushed Chuck into the room, keeping a hand on his arm, staying behind him with Dean.

"I am the prophet Chuck!" He exclaimed. I rolled my eyes.

"You've got to be joking." Lilith grinned, getting off of Sam, standing to face us.

"Oh, this is no joke." Dean said as the room started to tremble around us, the ringing blaring in my ears so loud that I almost couldn't hear anything else. A white light started pouring through the room, getting brighter and brighter with each passing second. "You see, Chuck here's got an archangel on his shoulder. You've got about ten seconds before this room is full of wrath and you're a piece of charcoal. You sure you want to tangle with that?"

Lilith gave Sam a look before throwing her head back, pouring out of the woman's mouth and up through a vent and her body dropped before us.

* * *

 **ROAD – NIGHT**

After dropping Chuck, who was still pretty shaken, off at his house we headed back onto the road. Of course, the bridge was perfectly fine now and we could cross it to get out of this God-forsaken place. Just as Dean pulled the Impala onto the highway, Sam had finished telling us about Lilith and what had happened before we got there. Needless to say, it was a lot to process.

"So a deal, huh?" Dean asked, glancing over at his brother.

"That's what she said." Sam shrugged.

"To call the whole thing off?" I asked. "The angels, the seals, Lucifer rising, all of it?"

"That was the gist of it."

"Huh." Dean nodded, staring out to the road.

"What?"

"You didn't think once about taking it?"

"Are you kidding me? Dude, you spent all day trying to talk me off the Lilith track."

"I'm just saying..."

"I'm sure the bitch was lying." I said. "I really doubt she could call all of that off with just one deal. I mean, who is she?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Anyway, that's not the point." Sam said.

"What's the point?"

"The point is, she's scared. I could see it. Lilith is running."

"Running from what?"

"Don't know. But she was telling the truth about one thing."

"What's that?"

"She's not gonna survive the apocalypse. I'll make sure of that." Sam said, his voice threatening.

Dean glanced back at me in the rear-view mirror, the both of us catching that difference in Sam's voice, something that had happened a lot since he'd come back all those months ago. Occasionally I thought back to what Azazel had said...there was a part of Sam that was different since he came back and while I hated believing that, I'd seen to much to keep thinking it wasn't true.

There was big part of me that wanted to know what he was doing to make himself _stronger_ , but at the same time, I knew whatever it was, it wasn't good. And even though I tried not to show it all the time, I was scared out of my mind.

* * *

 **Hey guys! Long time no see. Sorry about that! I've been feeling a little under the weather lately.**

 **Who watched the mid-season finale last night? I thought it was great. Also, who else fucking loves Chuck? He's definitely one of my favorites.**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you liked it!**

 **Twitter: phoenixwrites79  
Instagram: phoenixwritesfanfiction**


	21. Cherry Pie (Flashback)

_Swinging on the front porch, swinging on the lawn  
Swinging where we want, 'cause there ain't nobody home  
Swinging to the left, and swinging to the right  
I'll think about baseball, swing all night  
Swinging in the living room, swinging in the kitchen  
Most folks don't 'cause they're too busy bitching  
Swinging in there 'cause she want me to feed her  
So I mixed up the batter and she licked the beater_

…

 _Swinging to the drums, swinging to guitar  
Swinging to the bass in the back of my car  
Ain't got money, ain't got no gas  
But we'll get where we're going  
If we swing real fast _

…

 _(Swing it)  
All night long  
(Swing it)  
Swinging the bathroom, swinging on the floor  
Swinging so hard, forgot to lock the door _

….

 _She's my cherry pie  
Cool drink of water, such a sweet surprise  
Tastes so good, make a grown man cry  
Sweet cherry pie  
She's my cherry pie  
Put a smile on your face ten miles wide  
Looks so good, bring a tear to your eye  
Sweet cherry pie, sweet cherry pie_

 _ **Warrant – Cherry Pie**_

* * *

After drumming my fingers on the table started to get a little boring, I began absentmindedly playing with a napkin as I listened to Bobby and Dean bicker over the baseball game on TV in the living room. Sam sat next to me in the kitchen, his nose buried in a book, as per-usual. John was gone once again, on one of his _solo hunting trips,_ which meant everything was pretty peaceful.

Dare I say...normal?

The timer went off, so I got up to take the pie I just baked out of the oven. It was cherry, one of Dean's favorites. I grabbed the oven mitts, carefully pulling the pie out, nodding appreciatively at the golden crust. I had to admit, I was a good cook.

As I turned around, away from the stove, I let out a small squeal when I saw Dean standing right behind me. "Don't do that! I almost dropped this."

"You better not." Dean said, leaning on the counter next to me.

"You should've known better. It was a risky move considering I'm carrying your baby." I smiled, seeing Sam glance up from his book, looking a bit confused until he realized I was talking about the pie – a grin spreading across his lips. I placed it down on the counter to cool, swatting Dean's hand away as he tried to peal off a piece of the crust. "Dean, it's hot."

"But it looks so good."

"You're gonna get burnt."

"That's life though, isn't it? The things you love always hurt you."

"Wow...that- that's deep, Dean." I chuckled, getting myself a glass of water. "Go away."

Dean shrugged, heading back into the living room. "Bring me some pie when it's cool!"

"No!" I shouted, shaking my head as I sat back down at the table next to Sam, leaning over towards him, keeping my voice low. "So any mail come for you lately? Anything in particular...from, say, a college maybe?"

"Not yet." Sam sighed, shaking his head. "I probably won't even get accepted to any of the places I applied."

"That's ridiculous, Sam. Of course you will."

"You have so much faith in me."

"How could I not? You're a genius." I smiled, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"I need pie..." Dean groaned loudly from the adjoining room. "Bring me pie..."

"Get off your ass and get it yourself! You have legs, Dean!"

"But I don't want to!"

I ignored him, looking back to Sam. "I'm sure you'll get a bunch of them eventually."

"I don't know. Maybe it's for the best that I don't."

"Why's that?"

"Because. Dad will be pissed. Dean will be pissed. Bobby probably would, too. You'd be the only one not mad at me."

"I think Bobby would understand right away. And John and Dean would come around, I think, if they knew how important it was to you."

"I don't know." Sam mumbled, the both of us stopping our conversation as we heard Dean's heavy footsteps approach the room. He glanced over at me, a small pout on his face as he headed over to the pie.

I rolled my eyes at him as he went. "Be careful it's probably still a little ho-"

"Ow!" Dean cried.

"Did you burn yourself?" I asked, turning around in my chair.

Dean quickly pulled his finger out of his mouth so I wouldn't see him trying to sooth his burn. "No."

"How bad is it?"

"It's not. I'm fine." Dean mumbled, bringing a slice over to the table on a plate, sitting across from me, taking a forkful of pie into his mouth.

"How is it?" I asked. Dean closed his eyes, a small moan coming from his throat. He didn't even answer, instead he just took another huge forkful of pie. "Hey, you want Sam and I to leave you two alone?"

Dean cracked an eye open, holding one finger up. "Give me a minute. It just gets better and better every time."

I smirked suggestively, staring into his eyes as just he was about to swallow another bite. "I'm glad you like eating my pie."

As what I said finally sank in, Dean started choking on the mouthful he was swallowing. I quickly got up to get him a glass of water as Sam looked up at me, his eyebrows raised in question. I handed Dean the glass, patting his back as he drank the entire thing.

"Thanks." Dean said, finally speaking after he could breathe again.

"No problem." I smiled, sitting back down next to Sam, who was watching me with a look that told me he thought something weird was going on. "What?"

"Nothing." Sam shrugged in response.

"I was just joking." I lied.

"Yeah."

"I know." Dean chimed in.

"Okay." I nodded, winking at him when Sam wasn't looking. Dean grinned at me as he took another bite of pie.

* * *

Not too long after dinner Sam had gone to bed, and I knew Bobby wasn't far behind. Dean and I were itching for some alone time, and I couldn't wait until we got it. Even though that was torture as there wasn't much we could…do.

The both of us wanted to finally _do the deed,_ badly. But needless to say, we never got enough time together for that to happen. Instead we resorted to stolen kisses and small touches. The occasional _mouth-love,_ as Dean called it to make me laugh whenever I was feeling down about the whole situation.

In my wildest dreams, I never imagined Dean and I actually being together. And I definitely never imagined how difficult it would've been to keep our relationship a secret, either. It was starting to become like a screwed up version of _Mission: Impossible._

That made me think back to what Sam had said before, about John being pissed with him wanting to go to college. It was sad that we had to keep secrets from him. All Sam wanted to do was go to college. Dean and I were happy together.

I understood John's worries, but wouldn't he just want us to be happy?

And that led me to question what Sam would think about Dean and I. Would he even care? Would he think it was weird? And what about Bobby? Would he disprove of this just like John?

It was all these thoughts that usually made me question what Dean and I were really doing here, but then I'd look into his eyes and see everything I've ever wanted. And I'd think about how he was disobeying John, something he'd never do, just to be with me.

Then I'd think about how I strongly I actually felt for him. I didn't want to say those three words, even to myself. Because if I did, that would make the feeling real. And right now, it couldn't be that way.

But either way, I knew Dean cared about me. I believed him when he said he really wanted to do this. To be with me, to commit to us. I believed every word because I could tell when Dean was lying, and I saw nothing but sincerity in his eyes.

Yet again, I found myself thinking too far into the future. I had to stop and live in the moment so I could remember what we have while we have it, for however long that is. Who knows what would happen if John ever found out? We would have to end this, no doubt. Thinking about that honestly made me sad and I tried not to, but it was always lingering in the back of my mind.

Almost as if he knew I needed it, Dean glanced over at me, shooting me a small smile. I couldn't help but smile back, and in that instant all my worries were gone.

God, how does he do that?

Bobby let out a sigh, getting up from his chair. "You kids staying up for a while?"

"Yeah." I nodded, grabbing the remote off the coffee table, starting to flick around the channels.

"Alright. See you in the morning." Bobby muttered, making his way up the steps.

After he was out of sight, I moved a little closer to Dean on the couch, smiling up at him, waiting until I heard Bobby's footsteps retreat up the stairs, fading as he went into his room. As I fully leaned into Dean's side, he lifted my chin up, placing a kiss on my lips.

Before I knew it, the remote was on the ground, my back was on the couch and we were full-on making out. My hands ran though his hair as we kissed, moving down his back as his lower half rested between my legs. Dean started placing kisses down my neck, moving between my breasts until he got to my stomach, then going even lower.

"You know...I do love eating your pie." Dean murmured, staring up at me with a smirk. "My sweet cherry pie..."

"Oh, no. Quoting _Warrant_? What have I done?" I asked with a laugh. "I kind of like it."

"Me too." Dean paused, thinking about something for a moment. "Huh."

"What?"

"I think I'd like calling you that." Dean smiled. " _Cherry Pie_."

I smiled back. "I could get used to that."

Suddenly, footsteps sounded above us, moving towards the stairs and before I could blink, Dean sat upright, pulling me with him. I smoothed my hair back, bringing all of it over my left shoulder as I put some distance between us. Dean rested his arm on the back of the couch behind me, the two of us looking casual as ever.

Hopefully.

Sam appeared at the end of the stairs, squinting over at us in the dimly lit room. "You guys are still awake?"

"Yeah." I mumbled. "What are you doing up?"

"Just wanted to get some water."

Sam headed into the kitchen as I glanced over at Dean, who let out a sigh, staring at the wall with a blank expression, looking just as frustrated as I felt. I nudged his shoulder lightly, getting his attention. Dean looked over at me, shooting me a small smile as I let my eyes scan over his body, seeing the very obvious bulge in his pants.

"Dean?" I whispered

"What?" Dean asked, keeping his voice low.

I nodded down to his lap. "Boner."

"Oh, shit." Dean hissed quietly, pulling one of his legs up, resting his ankle on his knee, making sure to keep his arm across his lap to try and cover himself as best he could.

"How did you not know?" I asked quietly with a laugh. "That thing is huge."

Dean raised an eyebrow, glancing over at me with a cocky smirk. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah." I smiled, biting my lip.

The sound of the refrigerator slamming shut caught my attention, snapping me out of that lustful haze that I seemed to fall into so easily with Dean. We shared a look of resignation as Sam opened the doors leading from the kitchen to the living room, heading over to Bobby's chair. I rolled my eyes internally, wanting nothing more than to tell him to just go away and leave us alone.

But I couldn't do that.

"How late are you guys gonna stay up?" Sam asked, taking a sip of his water.

"Probably not much longer." I shrugged.

"What were you guys doing, anyway?"

"Watching TV."

"Oh. What were you watching?" Sam asked, glancing over at the television as an infomercial for some kind of mop appeared on screen, looking back to us with raised eyebrows.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Isn't it past your bedtime?"

"Dude, I'm seventeen. Are you trying to get rid of me or something?"

"Yeah, all the time."

"Jerk."

"Bitch."

"Aren't you two just adorable. Well, I guess I'll head to bed." I sighed, shooting Dean an apologetic look. Sam was getting too leery, it was time for one of us to go.

"Alright." Dean nodded. I shot him a small smile, monumentally forgetting who else was in the room as I leaned in to kiss him. I stopped about an inch away from his face, realizing what I was doing when I saw his eyes bug out.

"Uh..." I scrambled, quickly kissing him on the cheek, pulling back, making my way over to Sam, rather awkwardly kissing him on the cheek as well. I smiled at the both of them as I stood upright. "I- I just- I love you guys."

"Right." Sam nodded, dragging out the word as he narrowed his eyes at me, clearly not buying it.

"Well, goodnight. See you in the morning." I smiled innocently, backing up towards the stairs.

I don't think I'd never gotten out of a room so fast.

* * *

 **Here's a little extra that I originally was going to put into the last chapter, but ultimately decided not to, obviously because I didn't think it flowed very well. Anyway, I just wanted to have this as a little reprieve, something lighthearted and sweet. God knows we're not getting that for a while with the next few chapters coming up.**

 **Also, I remember someone from either the cast or crew of SPN saying how sometimes the writers wrote things and then a few seasons later either forgot or realized they didn't want it that way and had to kind of backtrack, even though that part of the story was already set in place.**

 **That's how I feel right now lol**

 **Originally, I didn't have Sam know about Tori and Dean when they first started their relationship. But I mean, come on, Sam's not stupid. He totally knew.**

 **Anywoo *channeling Sheriff Donna here* thanks for reading and I hope you liked this little flashback chapter!**

 **Twitter: phoenixwrites79  
Instagram: phoenixwritesfanfiction**


	22. Jump the Shark

_I heard the men saying something  
The captains tell they pay you well  
And they say they need sailing men to  
Show the way, and leave today_

 _..._

 _They say the sea turns so dark that_ _you know it's time  
You see the sign_  
 _They say the point demons guard is a_ _n ocean grave, for all the brave_  
 _..._

 _Your father, he said he needs you_  
 _Your mother, she says she loves you_  
 _Your brothers, they echo your words_  
 _How far to the point of know return?_  
 _Well, how long?_

 _Today I found a message floating_  
 _In the sea from you to me_  
 _It said that when you could see it_  
 _You cried with fear, the point was near_  
 _Was it you that said how long, how long  
How long t_ _o the point of no return?_

 _ **Kansas – Point Of No Return**_

* * *

The wind blew around me as I stood near the small lake, staring down into the murky water. The ringing in my ears kept getting louder with every passing day, and right now, it was blaring. Every since that encounter with Chuck's archangel, it's been so loud. I almost felt like my brain was beginning to vibrate around in my head.

"How'd you sleep?" I heard Sam ask as he leaned against the hood of the Impala – whose back window was now fixed – brushing his teeth.

I turned around to see Dean stumbling out of the, rubbing an eye with his palm. "How do you think? I'm starving. Let's get breakfast."

"Where? We're like two hours from anything."

"But I'm hungry now." Dean whined.

"There's probably still a sandwich in the back seat."

Dean turned around, reaching through the back window, pulling out a paper bag, opening it, quickly recoiling. "It's tuna."

"Hey, Tori are you okay?" Sam asked.

I blinked a few times, realizing I zoned out again. "Huh?"

"Are you okay?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." I replied, heading back to the Impala, hearing a phone ringing from inside the car.

Dean moved to the front passenger seat, reaching through that window to take the phone out of the glove compartment, hitting his head on the roof as he moved back. "Shit."

"Jesus, Dean." I sighed, gently rubbing the spot he'd hit. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Isn't that Dad's phone?" Sam asked.

Without replying, Dean flipped the phone open. "Hello?"

" _Uh, is this John?_ " A young sounding male voice asked.

"He can't come to the phone. Can I help you?"

" _No, no. I really- I need to talk to John. This is Adam Milligan. He knows me._ "

Dean covered the speaker on the phone, glancing down to me. " _Adam Milligan_?"

"No idea." I shrugged.

"Well, sorry to be the one to break this to you, pal, but John died more than two years ago." Dean told the guy, who gasped in response. "Who is this?"

" _I'm his son._ " Adam replied. My eyes widened in shock as I let out an audible breath. Dean just stared straight ahead, a look of anger and sadness flooding into his eyes.

* * *

 **WINDOM, MINNESOTA – DAY  
Cousin Oliver's Hilltop Cafe **

The small town was bustling at this time of day, a few cars driving past as Dean parked the Impala across the street from the tiny cafe in which we were supposed to meet Adam. I still wasn't sure how to feel about any of this, especially if it was true. Something that Dean wasn't about to let himself believe.

Not that I blamed him.

Sam, on the other hand, seemed to handling this much better than either Dean or me, having already done his research on Adam.

"Look, best I can tell, Adam Milligan is real. Born September twenty-ninth, nineteen-ninety to Kate Milligan. No father listed on the birth certificate. He's an Eagle Scout." Sam read from a folder. "Graduated from high school with honors and currently goes to the University of Wisconsin—biology major, pre-med."

"Uh-huh." Dean mumbled, opening the trunk, reaching under the arsenal cover, pulling out a few knifes, including Ruby's, handing that to me.

"Wait, are we really going to go in there with all this?" I asked, quickly hiding the knife in my jeans pocket.

"I sure as hell ain't going in naked. This is a trap."

With that, Dean closed the trunk, moving past Sam and I towards the diner. Sam shut the folder, letting out a sigh as we followed in after Dean. The bell above the door rang as we entered the small cafe, moving over to a table with four chairs situated around it. Dean pulled out one of the chairs, sitting

I let out a sigh, looking up to Sam. "Okay, who's sitting by dAdam, you or me?"

"You are." Dean interjected, looking to his brother.

"Sam I understand if you want me to." I said, ignoring Dean.

"No, it's okay." Sam muttered, sitting down. I nodded, pulling out the chair next to Dean, across from Sam, sitting down. "I'm telling you, the kid checks out."

"Great, so he's an actual person on the planet Earth. Sucks he's got a demon in him."

"Well, I feel fine right now, so if that changes, we'll know for sure." I said.

"Hi. Welcome to Cousin Oliver's." The waitress mumbled, placing three glasses of water on the table.

"Thanks." Sam said.

"Can I-"

"We're actually waiting on somebody." Dean said. The waitress became annoyed at that, slapping our menus down in front of us before storming off. Dean took his glass, pouring the water out into the potted plant behind him before taking out a flask, pouring holy water into the now empty glass.

"Holy water?" I asked. "Dean, I'll know."

"Just an extra precaution."

"Okay."

"And what if he's not possessed?" Sam asked.

"Then he's a shapeshifter." Dean said, pulling a silver cutlery out of a cloth, placing it in front of the empty chair, taking away the other silverware, throwing them into the dirt in the plant. "Look, either way, this thing is gonna bleed. I mean, using Dad as bait? That's the last mistake of its short, pitiful life."

"Dean, listen. There's an entry in Dad's journal." Sam said, flipping through the journal. "From January of 1990, saying he's headed to Minnesota to check out a case. That's, roughly, oh, about nine months before the kid was born."

"Coincidence."

"Coincidence. Next two pages of the journal, torn out."

"You're not actually buying this, are you?"

"Look, man, I don't want to believe it either, I'm just saying it's possible. I mean, Dad would be gone for weeks at a time, and he wasn't exactly a monk. I mean, a hunter rolls into town, kills a monster, saves the girl...sometimes the girl's grateful." Sam said, making me cringe along with Dean.

"Well, now I'm thinking about Dad sex. Stop talking."

"Maybe he slipped one past the goalie."

"Sam!" I exclaimed.

Just then, the sound of the bell ringing above the entrance caught our attention. I saw Dean stiffen slightly, barely even glancing back at the sound. I turned around, seeing a younger looking man with dark blonde hair walking over to us. I could see the resemblance in him, but tried to ignore it.

"Adam?" Sam called. As Adam walked over to the table, I waited to feel something, anything...but instead, I felt nothing.

"You Sam?" Adam asked.

"Yeah. Uh, this is Dean." Sam said, a gleam of mischief shining in his eyes. "And his fiance, Tori."

Dean shot Sam a hard look while I shook my head and Sam just shrugged. Adam missed the interaction, setting his backpack on the floor next to the empty chair, sitting down. "So, um...how did you know my dad?"

"Uh, we worked together."

"How did- how did he die?"

"On the job."

"He was a mechanic, right?" Adam asked suspiciously.

"A car fell on him." Dean chimed in, his voice short. Underneath the table, I placed a hand on his leg, patting it lightly.

"Hey, Adam. How you doing?" The waitress asked, much friendlier this time as she placed another cup of water down.

"Oh, I'll take that. I'm very thirsty." Dean said, taking a small sip.

The waitress shop Dean a displeased look, turning back to Adam. "The usual?"

"Uh, yeah. Thanks, Denise." Adam said picking up his glass. The three of us watched carefully as he took a sip, not having any reaction whatsoever.

Sam a look at Dean, raising an eyebrow before turning back to Adam. "So, uh, when's the last time you saw John?"

"I don't even know. It's been a couple years."

"Why did you decide to call him now?" I asked.

"I didn't know who else to call. He's the only family I got. My mom's missing."

"Oh, I'm sorry. For how long?"

"It's tragic, really. But if you're John's kid, how come we've never heard of you?" Dean asked.

"'Cause John and me didn't really know each other. Not until a few years ago, anyway." Adam shrugged. "My mom never talked about him. I knew some stuff."

"What kind of stuff."

"My mom's a nurse, and Dad came into the ER, pretty torn up. Hunting accident or something. And I knew his name. John Winchester. That's about it. We're not exactly a nuclear family."

"Yeah, well, who is these days?" Sam asked, letting out a breathy laugh.

"So, when did you, uh, when did you finally meet him?" Dean pushed.

"When I was twelve. My mom had one of his old numbers, and after I begged her – God, twenty-four-seven, she finally called him. God, when John heard he had a son, he raced to town. I mean, he dropped everything. He drove all night."

The three of us glanced down at the table when he said that, I'm sure similar thoughts running through all of our heads. John drove all night just because he found out he had a kid somewhere, but he wouldn't come when we needed him?

Denise came back, placing a plate in front of Adam. "There you go."

"Thanks." Adam smiled at her.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Well, that's heartwarming."

"You mind?" Adam asked, gesturing to his food.

"Please, dig in." Dean mumbled. Adam took the napkin out from under the silverware without touching it, spreading the fabric across his lap.

"He would swing by once a year or so." Adam said, finally grabbing his knife and fork. Nothing happened. "You know, called when he could. But still."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dean move slightly, subtly leaning back to see him hold a gun on Adam under the table. I quickly place my hand on his arm, shooting him a look when he glanced over at me, shaking my head slightly. Dean let out a small sigh, putting the gun away.

"He taught me poker and pool and even bought me my first beer when I was fifteen." Adam continued, eating his food. "And he showed me how to drive. Dad, he had this beautiful 'sixty-seven Impala-"

"Oh, this is bullshit." Dean spat. "You know what, you're lying."

Adam looked up at him, shocked. "No, I'm not."

"Yeah, you are."

"I'm sorry, but who the hell are you to call me a liar?"

"We're John Winchester's kids, that's who."

"I've got siblings?"

"No, you don't have siblings. Look, man, I don't know if you're a hunter or what kind of game you're playing here."

"I have never been hunting in my life." Adam said, not having any idea what Dean was really talking about.

"Whatever. I'm out of here." Dean huffed, getting up. "Come on guys."

I began to follow him, standing up when Adam put his silverware down. "I can prove it."

* * *

 **MILLIGAN HOUSE – DAY**

We stood in front of a fireplace in the living room of a clean, suburban home. I stayed between Sam and Dean, holding a framed picture of John and a much younger Adam, the both of them apparently at the baseball game, wearing baseball caps. Sam and Dean stared down at the picture while I looked back up at Adam, seeing him leaning against the wall in front of us.

"...so, he took you to a baseball game?" I asked.

"Yeah, when I turned fourteen. Dad was around for a few of my birthdays." Adam replied.

Dean let out a small breath of air next to me, looking away from the picture. Sam pulled out John's journal, reading from one of the pages. " _September twenty-ninth, two thousand four._ One word. _Minnesota_."

"He took you to a fucking baseball game?" Dean asked, not even trying to hide his jealousy.

"Yeah. Why? What'd Dad do with you on your birthday?" Adam asked, taking the picture as I handed it back to him. Dean didn't answer, frowning slightly, causing Adam to look away awkwardly.

"Adam, you said you called John because your Mom was missing, right?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"How long has she been gone?"

"Three days."

"And who was the last person to see her?"

"Mr. Abbinanti, our neighbor. He saw her come home Tuesday night, but she never showed up to work on Wednesday." Adam said, placing the picture back down, next to another, which was one of John hugging a woman that strangely resembled Mary. Someone I imagined was Mary.

Looking at that picture sent a little bit of irrational anger rushing though me. I knew that John had probably moved on at some point, though you wouldn't know it with how obsessive he got over the cause of her death. Either way, seeing this did bother me.

"Did you call the police?" I asked, seeing that neither Sam nor Dean were really in the mood to ask questions.

"Mom's supervisor at the hospital did. And then I drove down here as fast as I could. I should have been here."

"And what did the cops say?"

"That they- they searched the house. They didn't find anything. She wouldn't leave without telling anybody. It's like she just dropped off the face of the earth, you know?"

"Yeah. Anything else weird?"

"Well, her dresser was knocked over."

"Okay. Can we go take a look around her room? You know, maybe some fresh eyes will notice something everyone else missed?"

"Sure, I guess." Adam nodded, turning towards the stairs.

As he went, I looked up to the boys. "Maybe you guys should go talk to the cops, see if his story checks out."

"Okay." Sam nodded.

"I'm not leaving you here with him." Dean said.

"Baby, he's just a kid." I said. "I'll be fine."

"No. Sam can take care of it."

"Alright."

* * *

A little while later, Dean and I were up in Kate's bedroom while Sam left to go to the police station. Dean and I shifted the dresser Adam had said was knocked over, checking behind it and, again, finding nothing. We moved it back into place, the both of us letting out sighs. Dean stared at the framed pictures of John with both Kate and Adam on the top of the dresser, a sad look creeping into his eyes. I placed a hand on his arm, something that did not go unnoticed by Adam.

"So...you guys are close." He commented.

"John took me in when I was a kid." I said, quickly shutting his thoughts down. "We're not related."

"Oh, uh, okay. Dad was a good guy then, huh?"

"Well, yeah."

"What else can you guys tell me about Dad?"

"You knew him." Dean said, his voice harsh.

"Not as well as you."

"Trust me, kid, you don't want to know."

"But-"

"Adam, listen, this is a difficult situation for us, so if you just relax with all the questions?" I interjected, trying to keep my tone as nice as possible. None of this was Adam's fault.

"Oh. Sure, yeah, I get it." Adam nodded, glancing to the ground.

"Thanks."

"Huh." Dean mumbled, moving over towards Adam, his eyes trained on the ground by his feet. I followed his gaze, seeing scratches on the hardwood.

"What is it?" Adam asked.

Dean bent down, picking up the comforter, looking under the bed before glancing up at me. "Give me a hand with the mattress?"

I nodded, tossing the pillows aside, grabbing the side of the mattress. Without anybody asking him, Adam came over, helping us pull the mattress off the bed frame. Behind the bed was a large air vent, big enough to fit a person through. I raised an eyebrow, glancing up at Dean, seeing a similar look on his face as he glanced up at me, a small grin spreading across his lips.

"I don't think I could fit. Too big."

"Shut up." I huffed, rolling my eyes as I stepped over the frame, pulling the metal vent cover off, practically throwing it to Dean.

"What are you doing?" Adam asked, staring over at me.

Without answering him, I pulled out my flashlight, getting down on my knees to peer inside. There were streaks of red blood stains along the duct. With a heavy breath, I slid inside, moving through the ducts until a came to a T-juction at the end. On one end was another vent cover still in place. Before I looked at the side, I pulled my gun out, slowly peeking around the corner, grimacing when I saw large amounts of blood and bits of flesh lying there.

Well, that's bad.

As I made my way back, I heard the sound of Sam's voice, seeing him look down at me in surprise when I crawled out of the vent.

"So?" Dean asked.

"Uh, there was nothing." I mumbled, taking Dean's outstretched hand so he could help me to my feet.

"Give us a minute."

"O- okay." Adam said, watching us as we headed out into the hallway, moving a few feet away from the bedroom.

"You talk to the cops?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "Like Adam said, no leads on his mom."

"Shocker there."

"But I did find this." Sam said, going through the many papers in his hand, reading from one of them. "Here. In nineteen ninety, there were seventeen grave robberies in Windom."

"Do you think that's why John came through here?" I asked.

"I'd say so. Check it out."

Sam pointed to the picture on the article. I scanned it over, finding John in the background of the photo. Dean nodded, looking back up. "Alright, so he was hunting something. What?"

"No idea. Those were the pages he threw out of the journal. But last month, the corpse snatching started up again. Three bodies from the local cemetery."

"So whatever he was after, he didn't kill it. It's back."

"And, what? It's stepped up its game to fresh meat? I mean, Kate's missing, and-"

"In the vents." I mumbled.

"What?"

"I found blood and chunks of skin in the vents." I told them, keeping my voice low. "I'm assuming it's from Kate."

"Well, there's that." Sam nodded, pulling out a photo of a man wearing large black glasses. "This is Joe Barton, the local bartender. He's gone, too."

* * *

 **MOTEL – DAY**

Back at the motel, I'd just taken a shower, trying to clear my head as much as possible, hoping that somehow the hot water would help diminish the ringing and thoughts of John's secret child. Needless to say, it didn't help. Not in the least.

As I came out from the bathroom, I saw Dean cleaning a shotgun at the table and Sam lying on the bed, John's journal in his hands. A knock sounded at the door and Dean quickly hid the gun underneath the comforter on one of the beds while I went and answered the it.

"Who the hell are you?" Adam asked, walking right in.

"Hi, Adam. Come on in." I mumbled sarcastically, shutting the door.

"Take it easy." Sam said, sitting upright.

"No, don't tell me to take it easy, okay? My house is a crime scene, my mom's probably dead, and you three, well, you tell me to call the cops, but you got to bail before they show? So, who are you really?" Adam asked, gaining only silence from us. "Cops didn't know where to look for my mom, but you guys did. And I heard you talking earlier, something about grave robberies."

"Adam-"

I saw Adam's eyes widen when he spotted the end of the shotgun peaking out from under the comforter. "You're not mechanics. I just want to know what's going on. Please."

"We're hunters."

"Sammy!" Dean exclaimed.

I glanced back at him, throwing my arms out to the side. "Sam, what the hell?"

"He deserves to know." Sam shrugged.

"Why? He shouldn't know."

"What do you mean, _hunters_?" Adam asked.

"You know, hunters. Deer, moose..." I trailed off, pushing him back towards the door. "You should go."

"No." Adam shook his head, shaking my hands off. "No, I'm not going anywhere."

"Why are you Winchesters so fucking stubborn?" I asked, glancing back at Sam and Dean.

"Not that kind of hunter." Sam told Adam, ignoring me. "We hunt...monsters. Vampires, werewolves, ghosts demons,."

"Demons?" Adam asked.

"Yeah. Tori was possessed when she was fourteen-"

"Sam." I called, glancing over at him, trying to tell him to stop with my eyes.

"And that's when Dad took you in?" Adam asked me.

"...yeah."

"We keep people safe." Sam said.

"So, basically, you're saying that every movie monster, every nightmare that I've ever had, that's all real?"

" _Godzilla'_ s just a movie." Dean interjected.

"We hunt them. So did Dad."

Adam nodded. "Okay."

" _Okay_?" Dean asked incredulously. "That's it?"

"What am I supposed to say?"

"That we're liars. That we're crazy. Nobody just says _okay_." I said.

"Well, you're my family. You're telling me the truth, right?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded.

"Then I believe you. Now, what took my mom?"

"We're not sure." Sam told him. "Something's in town stealing bodies, living and dead, but we don't know what."

"There's a long list of freaks that fit the bill." Dean said.

"You think maybe she might still be alive?" Adam asked, watching the three of us glance down, knowing what that meant right away. "How can I help?"

"You can't."

"This thing killed my mom. If you're hunting it, I want in."

"No." I said, shaking my head.

Sam glanced over at Dean and I. "Guys, look, maybe-"

"Maybe what?" Dean asked.

"He lost his mother. Maybe we can understand what that feels like." Sam said pointedly.

"Why do you think Dad never told us about this kid, Sam? Huh? Why do you think he ripped out the pages?"

"Because-"

"Because he was protecting him!"

"Dad's dead."

"That doesn't matter! He didn't want Adam to have our lives, okay? And we are gonna respect his wishes."

"Dean is right, Sam. Adam is just a kid, he shouldn't get into this."

"Tori, you know what wanting revenge is like." Sam said.

"That's different."

"Is it?"

"Do I get a say in this?" Adam asked.

"No." The three of us replied in unison.

"Babysit the kid." Dean said, heading towards the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"I'm going out!"

With that, Dean left, slamming the door behind him. Adam glanced at the shut door, looking over to Sam and I. "Is he always like that?"

Sam laughed. "Welcome to the family."

"No, he's not." I said, shooting Sam a glare, grabbing my jacket as I headed out after Dean, finding him sitting in the Impala. I slid into the passenger seat, looking over at him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Dean replied, backing the car out of the parking lot.

A few moments passed as we drove down the road, silence filling the car. "Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"You're not okay, are you?"

"I'm f-"

"I swear if you say fine, I am going to punch you."

Dean let out a low laugh, glancing over at me. "I'm not really okay."

"I know."

"If you know then why do you ask?"

"Because you need to talk about your feelings, Dean."

"Okay, _Dr. Phil_."

"This is a big deal, everything with Adam."

"Why do you think Dad wanted to protect him so bad, you know, from everything?"

"Because I think he actually learned. He knew he shouldn't have gotten you and Sam into it. He didn't want to make that same mistake again."

"Yeah."

"I don't think he loved you or Sam any less than Adam because of it."

"He took Adam to a freaking baseball game."

"And he took you, me and Sam to a concert, remember that?" I asked, seeing a small smile tug at Dean's lips. "That was pretty awesome. Better than baseball."

"Yeah, I guess." Dean nodded. "Even though he got drunk halfway through."

"Well, I'm sure that picture with Adam was taken moments before he downed a couple cases of beer."

"Probably." Dean laughed, glancing over at me as we stopped at a red light. "Thanks."

"For?"

"Just, you know, being here."

I smiled, leaning over to place a kiss on his lips. "I love you."

"Me too."

* * *

 **MILLSAP TOMB – DAY**

The cemetery director escorted us to the tomb under the impression that we were FBI, leading us inside of the old building. "This tomb was built in 1926. Four generations of the Millsap family were interred here."

"They don't build 'em like this anymore." Dean commented.

"Tell me, agents, have you thought about where you might like to spend eternity?"

I shared a grimace with Dean before he turned back to the man. "All the damn time."

"Three bodies went missing, any idea who did it?" I asked.

"Hooligans" The man replied. "Sick, deranged hooligans."

Dean touched liquid spilled on the side of the tomb, recoiling from the smell. "This isn't blood. What is this?"

"No, it's embalming fluid. Whoever committed this crime didn't just take the corpses. They opened them up."

* * *

 **BAR – NIGHT**

Inside the small building, Dean and I sat at the bar. I watched as other patrons came and went, trying to wrap my head around what the cemetery director told us. Whoever did this opened the bodies up first. I had no idea what to make of that.

Dean placed the small stack of papers he was carrying down in front of us so we could look them over. The bartender, and older blonde woman came over then, placing two glasses of beer in front of us. "First beer's on the house for cops. Feds, too."

"Are we that obvious?" Dean asked.

"I know all the local badges. And you two have got that _Law & Order_ vibe." She said, picking up a cloth to dry a glass. "So, what's the FBI doing in Windom?"

"Looking into the disappearance of Joe Barton." I said as Dean slid the picture of Joe over to her. She looked down at it, stricken. "Did you know him?"

"A little. I'm his wife. Lisa."

I was a bit taken a-back by that, immediately feeling for the woman. "I'm sorry. Is there anything you can you tell us about his disappearance?"

"Same thing I told the sheriff. He stayed late Friday before last to do inventory. Never came home."

"And the police?" Dean asked, looking over at the string of pictures behind Lisa. I followed his gaze, seeing a picture of Joe in uniform.

"Nothing. Truth is, I was scared they stopped looking. But now you're here."

"Joe was a cop?"

"Deputy. For a little while. That was a long time ago."

"He didn't happen to work the grave robbery case, back in ninety?"

"He did. Yeah. Joe was the one who found those bodies. He got an award for that."

"That was an interesting case." I commented.

"He ever tell you how he did it?" Dean asked.

"Most of the time he said good, solid police work. But after a few beers, he'd admit he had a little help."

"From who?"

"A specialist. That's all he'd say."

"Cops ever find the guy that stole the bodies?"

"No. But when I asked Joe about it, he'd say not to worry. That _we took care of what done it_."

* * *

"So John helped this guy, which meant he knew a little something about monsters." I said as we drove back to the motel.

"Guess so. Only question is, why is all of this happening now? All these years later?"

"I have no idea."

As Dean pulled the Impala into the parking lot, I saw Sam halfway underneath the driver side of Adam's truck, struggling to hold onto the car as something pulled him. Adam rushed around from the passenger side, grabbing Sam's arm as Dean and I flew out of the Impala.

"Guys, help!" Adam called.

Taking the shotgun that was lying on the ground, Dean shot underneath the truck at whatever had Sam while I went over by Adam, grabbing Sam's other arm, pulling him. Whatever had him was strong, and Sam was only released after Dean came to help us pull him.

When we finally pulled Sam free and I brushed some dirt off of him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Sam replied. Adam looked between the three of us before flopping to the ground, breathing heavily.

A moment later, Sam too Adam over to the Impala while I pulled his truck back, seeing that it was parked over an open sewer, the grate pushed to the side. I got out of the cab, making my way over to Dean, who was standing by the opening that had fresh blood on the edge of it.

"Well, you hit something." I said.

"Yeah, something that bleeds blood." Dean replied.

"So that narrows it down to, what, seventy? Eighty?"

"Yeah, about."

"Great." I sighed as we made our way over to Sam and Adam.

"I winged it." Dean announced. "Did you see anything?"

"I didn't get a good look." Sam responded.

"What the hell is this thing?"

"Should we go after it?" Adam asked.

"No. In that maze? That thing's long gone."

Sam nodded in agreement. "Alright, so, we don't know what it is, but we do know who it's going after. Joe Barton, Adam's mom-"

"And Adam." Dean finished. "It was under his truck, just waiting for him."

"It set a trap, and I walked right into it."

"Doesn't matter. You're right, there's a pattern. Joe Barton was a cop. I'm pretty sure he helped out Dad. So we've got him, Dad's girl, and his son."

"I guess we know why it's really back, then."

"It wants revenge." Adam said.

* * *

 **MILLIGAN HOUSE – DAY**

We entered the house, Adam flipping on a light while Sam went to the kitchen table, flopping his injured ankle up on another chair. I pulled up a chair next to it, pulling an ace bandage out of the bag on my shoulder, placing that on the ground.

"Grab your stuff. We'll hit the road." Dean said. Adam nodded, heading upstairs to collect his things.

"We shouldn't leave." Sam said once he was out of earshot.

"Yeah, let's stay here, where the kid's mom got ganked. Good one."

"I'm serious."

"You're crazy." I said, pausing on wrapping his ankle to look up at him. "We can't stay here, Sam."

We're gonna take the kid, we're gonna drop him off at Bobby's, and then the three of us are gonna come back here and finish what Dad started." Dean said.

"How?" Sam asked. "We got no leads, no witnesses. We do have what this thing wants."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You want to use Adam as bait? That's why you want to stay?"

"You have a problem with that? You were fine with using Jo as bait." Sam commented. I purposefully jerked the ace bandage, causing Sam to let out a low pained hiss, narrowing his eyes at me.

"Sorry." I mumbled apologetically.

"Maybe this thing will come back. We could train Adam, get him ready."

"He could die, Sam." Dean said.

"Not really. We'd stop them before anything happened to him."

"Yeah." I scoffed, finishing up wrapping Sam's ankle.. "'Cause we so good at doing that lately."

"Okay, fine. Listen, we could all die. Even if we do kill this thing, there are tons of other freaks that want revenge, on Dad, on us. What if they find the kid instead and he's not ready?"

"I'll do it." Adam said, appearing in the doorway, a backpack in hand. "Whatever it takes, I'll do it. I want to do it."

* * *

Sam had taken Adam someone to practice shooting, leaving Dean and I alone in the house, sitting in the kitchen.

"I don't like this." I muttered, glancing over at Dean.

"Me either."

"You know, if this thing is so smart that it's going after people John was involved with all those years ago, why'd it go after Sam? Doesn't that strike you as odd?"

"It was probably just a mistake."

"I guess. Maybe you're right, maybe it was just a mistake."

"What's the matter?" Dean asked.

"I just can't help but feel like something is wrong here."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Adam is just so...cool about all of this. I mean, I was possessed and I wasn't that understanding about monsters and hunting right away. Adam hasn't even seen anything remotely supernatural."

"He's our brother. I guess that was enough for him."

"He barely knows you. Blood doesn't always mean everything, Dean. You know that."

Dean thought for a moment, nodding his head. "Yeah. Maybe something is a little weird about that. You sure he's not a demon? Even the kind that can handle holy water?"

"I'm sure. I haven't felt a thing being around him." I said. Just then, the front door opened and Sam walked in, Adam right behind him.

"Adam did great." Sam announced, beginning to unload book after book on the table. "He's good with a gun."

"Great." I muttered while Dean mumbled an _awesome._

The books Sam put down ran down the whole spectrum of hunting knowledge and lore, all labeled everything from _Hellhouds_ to _The All-Watching Baphomet_ to _Afflictions of Ghosts_. Sam sat down one one side of the table, Adam sitting across from me, pulling a book in front of him.

"So, then we lit it on fire." Sam said to Adam, finishing a story we didn't get to hear the beginning of.

"Lit what on fire?" I asked.

"Remember that Rugaru?"

"Jack Montgomery?"

"Uh...yeah."

I glanced over at Dean, the both of us sharing a look before he turned to his brother. "Didn't think you'd be bragging about killing him."

"I'm not bragging." Sam defended himself, shooting Dean an irritated look. "I'm just telling Adam about some stuff we've done."

"Yeah, bragging."

"So, you killed it with a homemade flamethrower?" Adam asked, jumping right in between Sam and Dean's budding argument.

To be honest, I was kind of in shock that Sam had nearly forgotten the name of the man we were forced to kill. Sam seemed to be so personally affected by him, I wasn't exactly sure what was going on here, but I didn't like the way Sam was acting. Not at all.

"Yeah. They're heavy to build, I'll show you." Sam replied.

"That is some job you got, man."

"Being a hunter isn't a job, Adam. It's life. You're pre-med. You got a girlfriend, friends?"

"Yeah."

"Not anymore you don't. If you're really gonna do this, you can't have those kinds of connections, ever. They're weaknesses. You'll just put those people in danger, get them killed." Sam said. My eyes widened and I looked over to see Dean staring at his brother in slight shock. "That's the price we pay. You cut 'em out, and you don't look back. There's only one thing you can count on. Family."

"Sam." Dean called.

"Yeah?" Sam asked, looking over to his brother.

"Can we talk to you?"

"Sure."

Dean got up, making his way over to the stairs, I waited for Sam to get up and follow before pushing my chair back. "We'll be right back."

"Okay." Adam nodded. I headed into the living room to stand over by the boys, crossing my arms. Sam immediately seemed to know something was up, raising an eyebrow at us.

"What the hell was that?" Dean asked.

"What?"

" _Hunting is life. You can't have connections._ Dad gave you that exact same speech, remember? It was just before you ditched us for Stanford. You hated Dad for saying that stuff, and now you're quoting him?

"Yeah, well, turns out Dad was right."

"What?" I asked, taken a-back.

"Since when?" Dean asked, seemingly just as surprised as I was.

"Since always. When I look at Adam, you know what I see?"

"A normal kid."

"No. Meat. Because the demons and monsters out there, that's all he is. I hated Dad for a long time. I did. But now I think I understand. So we didn't have a dog and a white picket fence. So what? Dad did right by us. He taught us how to protect ourselves. Adam deserves the same."

"Listen to yourself, man."

"You think I'm wrong?"

"I think it's too late for us. This is our life. This is who we are, okay? And it's fine. I accept that. But with Adam, he's still got a chance, man. He can go to school. He could be a doctor."

"What makes Adam so special?" Sam asked, a tinge of envy in his voice.

"Are you jealous of him?" I asked.

"Are you?"

"Well, kinda. Think about it Sam, he's never really had anything to do with any of this bullshit. I wish I didn't. I wish I wasn't possessed, I wish Dean never went to hell. I wish you never started any of this psychic crap." I stopped, realizing I was getting on a bit of a tangent. "Anyway-"

"Well, Adam knows now." Sam said, cutting me off. "So he's involved."

"Only because you told him about it."

Sam let out a small breath, pulling a heavy one in. "Guys, all this...it's not real. The dad Adam knew, he wasn't real. The things out there in the shadows, _they_ are real. The world is coming to an end. That's real. Everything else is just part of the shit people tell themselves to get through the day."

"Dad didn't have a choice with us, okay? But with Adam, he did." Dean said. "Adam doesn't have to be cursed."

"He's a Winchester. He's already cursed."

"That's not true, Sam." I said, shaking my head. "That doesn't have to be true."

"Whatever's hunting Adam, I'm gonna find it." Dean said, determined.

Sam shook his head. "You already looked everywhere, Dean."

"Well, then I'll look again."

"Fine."

Without another word, Dean turned and headed for the door. Sam went back into the kitchen with Adam and I followed behind Dean, grabbing his arm to stop him. "Dean, we should just get out of here."

"Sam's not gonna let that happen."

"He's not gonna have the choice when I knock him out." I said quietly.

"Tori-"

"Sam's not thinking clearly here, Dean."

"Which is exactly why you need to stay here and make sure that both he and Adam are alright."

"While you go chase the big bad wolf all by yourself?"

"I'm gonna be fine."

"Okay." I nodded, letting his arm go. "Please, be careful."

"I will."

"And come back to me."

"Always." Dean murmured with a small smile, leaning into place a kiss on my lips before making his way outside.

With a small heavy sigh, I shut the door behind Dean, making sure to lock it before heading back into the kitchen. As I moved into the threshold of the kitchen, I heard a gun cock to my left, reacting quickly as I grabbed the barrel of the shotgun and the arm holding it, twisting it away from me and the arm down before kicking the back of the leg, sending the person to their knees.

I glanced down, seeing that it was Sam I was holding and quickly pushed him away. "What the hell? Are you stupid or something?"

"I didn't know it was you." Sam mumbled, breathing heavily as he stood upright.

"That was freaking awesome." Adam smiled at me. "You gotta teach me how to do that."

"Uh, yeah." I nodded, just going along with it."

"Why are you still here?" Sam asked. "I thought you went with Dean."

"Nope." I said, popping the _p_ as I made my way over to the kitchen table, flipping through one of the books.

"Why didn't you go with him."

"Because I didn't. And here I am." I mumbled, looking over to Adam, softening my voice. "So, you're okay with being bait?"

"Whatever it takes to kill the thing that hurt my Mom." Adam replied.

"Let's take some precautions." Sam said, handing Adam a drill. "We have to seal up the entrances to the house that this thing would use."

"Like?"

"Like the vents."

* * *

 **TOMB – NIGHT  
** DPOV

Not too long after making my way inside the dusty tomb, I found a large, loose stone big enough to hide a tunnel and after prying it away with a crowbar, that was exactly what I found.

"Dammit." I huffed, getting my flashlight out as I begin crawling through the cramped tunnel until I came to another room.

As I stepped inside, I felt my foot slip slightly on something, shining the flashlight down to see a pool of blood, followed by a severed arm and a pair of black glasses beside it, similar to the ones Joe had been wearing in his pictures. Just then, I heard a noise coming from down the tunnel, quickly shooting at it with my shotgun.

Right after I let a round out, I realized that was probably a pretty stupid idea as the entrance to the tunnel collapsed, leaving me trapped in here.

Tori's so gonna kill me if I die.

* * *

 **MILLIGAN HOUSE – NIGHT  
** TPOV

After covering most of the larger vents downstairs and lining each window and door with salt, we headed upstairs to do the same before going into Kate's bedroom. We stood over the opened vent that was underneath the bed, the only one left in the house that wasn't sealed.

"Alright. We've closed off every other way into the house. If this thing's coming, it's coming through here." Sam said just as the creak of a door opening sounded down stairs.

"You were saying?" Adam asked.

"Adam?!" A woman's voice called out, echoing up the stairs.

"Mom?"

"No." Sam shook his head, pulling up his shotgun.

"Mom!" Adam called back, taking off downstairs.

"Shit." I hissed as Sam and I ran down after him.

"It took me, but I got away." The blonde from the pictures told Adam as he stood at the bottom of the stairs.

"It's okay." Adam replied.

"I got away." Kate smiled, pulling Adam in for a hug.

As soon as Sam and I got down, he pointed his gun at the woman. "Adam, step away from her."

"Sam, what the hell?!" Adam asked, turning around.

"She's not your mother, Adam." I told him.

What is going on?" Kate asked.

"Get away from him!" Sam shouted, look

Adam shook his head. "It's really her, okay?"

"Adam, please. There was too much blood in the vents." I said. "It can't be her."

Glancing back up at _his mother_ for a moment, Adam finally stepped away from her, moving back towards us.

"Sam, no." I called as Sam moved to give Adam his gun.

"Shoot it!" Sam told him. Adam looked back and forth between us and the creature, a sad and confused look on his face. I tried to take the gun away from Adam, who jerked back.

"Adam, you don't have to do that." I said. "I'll do it, just give me the gun."

"They're crazy! Honey, it's me!" Kate exclaimed. Suddenly, Adam pointed the gun back at Sam and I, still looking terrified.

Sam glanced down at the barrel. "Adam-"

"Honey, it's me!"

"Look, that's not your mother! Shoot it! It's not human!" Sam shouted. Adam turned again, training the gun on _Kate_ just as she let a smirk spread across her lips. A sinking feeling filled my chest, and I somehow immediately knew that something was wrong here. Very wrong.

"I know." Adam replied, quickly turning and hitting Sam with the butt of the gun, sending him flying to the ground.

Just as I went for the gun in my pocket, _Adam_ moved faster than I could, dropping the shotgun, grabbing me by the arms, his inhuman strength holding me as Kate strolled over, holding a rope, that same sickening grin on her lips.

* * *

 **TOMB – NIGHT  
** DPOV

After a few failed attempts at kicking the crumpled rocks at the entrance of the tomb in hopes of getting out of here, I figured that since I was stuck for the moment, I might as well do some exploring. As I went, I found a few skeletons lying around on the ground, moving them aside with my foot before going deeper.

I came upon a few coffins placed around, seeing somewhat fresh blood on the top of one, opening it to see what was left of Kate Milligan lying inside. I quickly shut the lid, pulling in a breath before heading over to the other.

I had no idea who I was going to see in there, but knew I had to do this anyway. Opening the lid, I let out a shocked breath at the sight before me. Inside, Adam laid there, blood and bruises all over him. I felt a pang of disappointment for a moment before the realization sunk in.

If Adam had been here the whole time...then what was with Sam and Tori now?

As quickly as I could, I looked around for any way out of here, scrambling to find something until the moonlight gleaming off of something caught my eye and I looked up to see a stained glass window with an angel on it.

"Fucking angels." I mumbled, using all the strength I had to stack the coffins on top of each other as fast as I could, carefully getting on top of them to smash the window with the butt of my gun before climbing through, jumping back onto the ground.

* * *

 **MILLIGAN HOUSE – NIGHT  
** TPOV

While Kate was tying me to a chair, Adam placed a still unconscious Sam on the table, tying him down as well as putting duct tape across his chest, around his wrists, ankles. Kate leaned against the table, beginning to clean underneath her nails with the tip of a knife as she hummed.

"I'm a little surprised at you, Tori." Adam mumbled, looking back to me. "You didn't use any of your _awesome moves_ on me."

"Wouldn't want to waste them." I replied.

"There's that Winchester spunk I've been waiting for." Kate smiled as Sam began to stir, looking around in a panic for a moment before his eyes landed on me and he relaxed a little.

"It's no wonder none of the tests we did worked. You're not shapeshifters. You're ghouls."

"You know, I find that term racist." Kate mumbled. " _Ghouls._ "

"Oh, well, sorry." I scoffed.

"Fresh meat. So much better than what we're used to." Kate leaned down, sniffing Sam from the tip of his fingers to his neck, nibbling on his ear.

"Don't touch him." I spat.

"Or what?"

"Ghouls." Sam muttered. "I should have known. It was the fresh kills that threw me. Ghouls don't usually go after the living. See, you're just filthy scavengers, feeding off the dead, taking the form of the last corpse you choke down."

"And their thoughts. And their memories." _Adam_ added. "Like Adam, for instance."

Kate smiled. "Well, we are what we eat."

"You're monsters." Sam said.

"You know, you use that word a lot, Sam. But I don't think you know what it means." _Adam_ said.

"Our father was a monster? Why? Because of what he ate? He never hurt anyone, Sam. Living, anyway."

"No. He was no monster. But the thing that killed him was. A monster named John Winchester. Thanks to your daddy, my brother and I grew up on our own. At least we had each other."

"Like you three." Adam said, looking between Sam and I. "Inseparable. Like you said, Sam, the only thing you can count on is family."

"And for twenty years, we lived like rats." Kate said, shaking her head.

"Graveyard after graveyard, all that stinking flesh."

"Then we thought, _hey, why not move up to fresher game?_ "

"And we knew just where to start." Adam smiled. Sam out a hiss as Kate drew the knife across his arm, blood flowing out. Kate bent down, beginning to drink it.

"Sam!" I called, glaring at her. "You better fucking stop."

"His blood, it tastes different." Kate mumbled to herself.

"Revenge, it's never over is it, Sam?" Adam asked, digging his knife into the cut in Sam's arm.

"First, it was John's cop friend, and then his slut, and then his son."

"Then I called John, but the son of a bitch was already dead."

"So I guess you, Dean and Victoria will have to do instead."

"We're gonna feed on you nice and slow. And when Dean gets back, we're gonna do the same to him. Just like we did with Adam."

"Oh, and, by the way, he really was your brother. You should know that." Kate said with a smile as Sam started to struggle.

"Sam." I murmured, tears in my eyes as I helplessly watched him bleed.

"He was still alive when we took our first bites." Adam grinned.

Kate laughed. "And he was a screamer."

"So, I get him, you get her?"

"Sounds like a plan." Kate smiled, making her way over to me.

Adam stared slashing Sam's arms, blood pooling into a bowl he placed beneath them. "Sam, the more you struggle, the faster you're gonna bleed out. So you might as well lie back and relax."

"Let's get started, huh?" Kate asked, bending down in front of me, placing a bowl under my arm, her eyes training on the long scar that was there from our encounter with the Rugaru all those months ago. "Aw, you already have a line for me to trace. How considerate?"

"Go to hell." I spat.

Kate gritted her teeth, slashing my arm so deep that the blood flowed out in a heavy stream. Just then, I pulled my wrist that I'd been slowly inching free, out of the rope, punching her as hard as I could, sending her flying to the ground, caught off guard.

"Hey!" I heard Dean call. I looked up to see him pointing a shotgun at Adam, firing it, sending him flying back to the wall with a hole in his shoulder.

"They're ghouls, Dean!" Sam exclaimed.

"Which means headshot." Dean said, pointing the gun at Kate as she was about to stand, shooting her in the head and she fell back to the ground, dead.

Suddenly, Adam pushed Dean into a china cabinet, breaking all the glass, the dishes falling out and onto the ground. Dean went to hit him in the head with the crowbar he was carrying, but Adam dodged it, punching Dean in the gut. Before I knew it though, Adam was on the ground and Dean was bashing his head in with the crowbar, a heavy silence falling over each of us.

"Oh, crap. Oh, shit." Dean mumbled, looking between Sam and I, not sure who to help first.

"Sam is in worse shape, Dean." I said, plucking the knife out of Kate's hand to free myself from the rest of the ropes.

"Alright." Dean nodded, grabbing a few paper towels along the way as he went over to his brother, cutting the ropes and duct tape, releasing Sam, helping him sit up, murmuring the whole time. "Come on, hang on buddy. Alright."

"Thank you." Sam mumbled, his voice shaky.

"That's what family's for, right? Keep pressure on that."

Once I'd gotten free of the ropes, I made my way over to the boys, taking a towel from Dean before sitting on the table next to Sam, leaning my head on his shoulder, the both of us still bleeding pretty profusely, but alive...so we were okay.

* * *

 **FOREST – NIGHT**

After Dean helped both Sam and I get our arms stitched and bandaged up, we gathered all of our things from the house before going back to the tomb where Dean had found the remains of Kate Milligan and Joe Barton, as well as Adam's body. We wrapped his body in a few sheets and brought him to the center of a large, dense forest, placing him on a pile of wood.

"You sure we should do this?" Sam asked.

"Ghouls didn't fake those pictures. They didn't fake Dad's journal." Dean said, sprinkling lighter fluid over Adam's body. "Adam was our brother. He died like a hunter. He deserves to go out like one."

"Maybe we can bring him back. Get a hold of Cas, call in a favor."

"No." I said, shaking my head. "Adam is in a better place."

"I think we know that might not be true at this point."

"Wherever he is, it's better than here. If the world really is gonna end, he doesn't need to see that."

"You know, I finally get why you and Dad butted heads so much. You two were practically the same person." Dean said, catching Sam's attention. "I mean, I worshiped the guy, you know? I dressed like him, I acted like him, I listen to the same music. But you were more like him than I will ever be. And I see that now."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Sam shrugged.

"You take it any way you want."

Dean lit a match, tossing it on the pyre. The three of us watched as Adam's body went up into flames. Doing this made me think back to John's funeral. How hard of a time that really was. And here we were, burying another family member. Granted, we didn't know him. But he was yet another person who didn't deserve the fate they were given.

We seemed to be followed by a string of death and I didn't know how to change it...or if we ever really could.

* * *

 **For those up to date with spn -** **_l_** _ **et** **Dean use a grenade launcher 2k17.** _

**Special thanks to _bookwriter13456_ for picking the song for this chapter!  
**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you liked it! The Rapture is up next, which means we get some more Jimmy! I love him.**

 **Twitter: phoenixwrites79  
Instagram: phoenixwritesfanfiction **


	23. The Rapture

_I wanna cut me free, you want make believe  
I'm made of flesh and bone, you wanna take control of me  
You wanna dress me up, I wanna feel the sun  
You wanna play pretend  
I'm not about to bend, you'll see  
_…

 _I'm taking back the day that you tried to steal from me  
I'm gonna make my voice, you'll never get my choice to breathe  
This is not a game  
_… _._

 _You want the strings so you can_  
 _Pull at my soul and tear me down  
You want it all  
I'm not your marionette doll  
So let me go  
_

 _ **Flyleaf – Marionette**_

* * *

In the distance, I saw a pier, someone sitting at the edge of it staring out into the water. As I got a bit closer, I saw who I thought was Dean, Castiel suddenly appearing beside him. Out of nowhere, the image before me got foggy and I heard a loud gasp next to me.

My eyes snapped open and I glanced over to my left, seeing Dean sitting upright, breathing heavily.

"Dean, you okay?" I asked, sitting up next to him.

"Come on." Dean said, getting out of bed, moving to pull on some jeans.

"What?"

"You have to get up. Come on."

"Why? Dean, I just want to sleep." I complained, leaning back on the headboard, smiling lustfully at him. "I mean, you really did a number on me last night."

"Oh, I know." Dean smirked.

"What do you say we do that again?"

"I thought you wanted to sleep?"

"And I will...after you tire me out." I smiled.

"Believe me, I would love to take you up on that but-"

" _But_?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you saying no to more sex?"'

"Okay, yes-"

"Why?"

"Because...God, this is gonna sound fucking weird but Cas just came to me in a dream."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Huh."

"What?"

"Did you happen to be on a pier?"

"...yes." Dean nodded, furrowing his brow. "Can you see into my dreams?"

"No. That's never happened before. I think it just had to do with Cas." I said, standing up, going over to Dean, wrapping my arms around his neck. "You know, if we don't do this now, we're gonna have to do it extra long and hard later."

"Well, Cherry Pie, long and hard is my middle name."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Sexy."

"Mhm." Dean smiled down at me, placing his hands on my hips. "Hey, are you really trying to threaten me with a good time here?"

"I should've known better." I sighed, letting out a small laugh before slipping a shirt on and a pair of jeans. Something must really be up if Dean was turning down another round. "So, where do we have to go?"

* * *

 **WAREHOUSE – NIGHT**

After waking Sam up, the three of us piled into the Impala, Dean much more awake than either me or Sam, who opted to lie down in the backseat on the way while I sat up front with Dean, who was speeding more than normal until we got to an old rundown warehouse. As soon as the Impala puled up in front of it, I heard the ringing in my ears grow louder, accompanied by breaks of small voices, something I hadn't told either Sam or Dean about. Not only was a hearing ringing, I was hearing voices, too.

I figured I'd leave that one out of the conversation for as long as possible.

"What was so important about coming here?" Sam asked as we moved through the dark building with our flashlights out.

"If I knew, would I be here?" Dean asked as we ascended a set of stairs, entering a room in disarray, walls broken, things thrown all over the place. "What the hell?"

"It looks like a bomb went off."

"There was a fight here."

"Between who?"

"Angels." I said, shining a light on the bloody angel banishing symbol drawn on the lower half of a wall.

"So, what? Cas was fighting angels?" Sam asked. As I looked near the symbol, my eyes spotted a foot sticking out of the rubble. It was then that I noticed who it was, slanted and unconscious.

"Cas!" I called, rushing over to him, holding his head upright as Dean threw some of the bulk off his stomach. "Cas, are you okay?"

His eyes fluttered slightly. "What's- what's- what's going on?"

"Just take it easy. Take it easy." Dean told him, gently pushing him back as he tried to sit up.

"Oh, no."

"Cas, you okay?" Sam asked.

"Ugh, Castiel." He mumbled with distaste. "I'm not Castiel. It's me."

"Who's me?"

"Jimmy. My name's Jimmy."

"The man Castiel was possessing?" I asked.

"Yeah." Jimmy nodded, looking up at me. "We've met."

"I remember." I nodded, recalling that day in the church in Pontiac. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dean look at me questioningly. "Before Cas brought you back. I went to a church by where you were buried. Jimmy was there. We talked about...angels."

"You thought I was crazy."

"Sorry."

"It's alright. Not the first time that's happened."

"Where the hell is Castiel?" Dean asked.

"He's gone."

* * *

 **MOTEL – NIGHT**

On our way back to the motel room, we got Jimmy something to eat and he was currently devouring one of the few burgers in front of him, taking a long sip of soda before going back to his burger.

"You mind slowing down? You're gonna give me angina." Dean commented.

"I'm hungry." Jimmy mumbled through a full mouth.

"When was the last time you ate?" I asked.

"I don't know. Months."

My heart broke for him. I couldn't imagine what it was like to be possessed for so long, by an angel no less.

"What the hell happened back there?" Sam asked. "It looked like an angel battle royale."

"All I remember is a flash of light and I- I woke up and I was just, you know, like, me again."

"So, what? Cas just ditched out of your meat suit?" Dean asked.

"I really don't know."

"You remember anything about being possessed?" Sam inquired. "Anything at all?"

"Yeah, bits and pieces. I mean, angel inside of you, it's kinda like being chained to a comet."

"That doesn't sound like much fun." Dean mumbled.

"Understatement." Jimmy said, taking another bite of his burger as he looked to me. "It's like a demon-rocket on fire."

"Ouch." I grimaced.

"Sorry."

"No, it's fine."

"I just figured you'd understand it more. Especially put that way."

"Sadly, I do."

"Cas said he wanted to tell us something." Sam interjected, barely giving Jimmy enough room to breathe. "Please tell me you remember that?"

"Sorry." Jimmy shrugged.

"Come on, what do you know?" Dean pushed.

"My name is Jimmy Novak. I'm from Pontiac, Illinois. I have a family. A wife, Amelia and a daughter Claire."

"Okay, but-"

"Guys why don't we give the twenty questions a break?" I asked looking between Sam and Dean. "Let Jimmy relax."

"Thanks." Jimmy muttered.

"Sure."

* * *

 **PONTIAC, ILLINOIS –** **NIGHT  
** One year ago. Third-person POV.

The Novak's were a kind and loving, God-fearing family. The type of people that would go out of their way to help someone in need. They went to church every single Sunday, never missing one. Jimmy worked most of the day, but provided enough that Amelia was a stay-at-home Mom. Claire got straight A's in school, always working hard.

And that night was normal, just like every other one as the small family sat down for dinner in their dining room, Jimmy at the head of the table with Amelia to his right and Claire to his left. They bowed their heads, saying grace before eating and talking about their day.

Once dinner was over, Jimmy and Claire cleaned the table while Amelia started washing the dishes, listening to her husband and daughter laugh and talk. When everything was clean, the family watched some TV before Claire went upstairs to do her homework and go to bed.

Yes, everything had been normal, just like always. That is, until Jimmy had fallen asleep on the couch, only to be woken up by a loud static coming from the TV. He grabbed the remote, pressing the _off_ button, but nothing happened.

"What the heck?" Jimmy asked, standing to his feet try and manually shut it.

Suddenly, a high-pitched ringing sang through the room, blaring in Jimmy's ears as he desperately covered them, dropping to his knees, crying out in pain before falling to the ground, beginning to convulse.

* * *

 **MOTEL – NIGHT  
** Present. TPOV

After getting Jimmy some more soda, I hung back outside with Sam and Dean in the muggy night air, small gusts of wind whipping around us every so often.

"So, what do we do?" Sam asked.

I glanced up at him, my brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"The guy's got a family." Dean said. "We buy him a bus ticket and send him home."

"I don't know about that." Sam shrugged. "He's the only lead we got."

"Sam, he doesn't know anything." I said.

"Are you one hundred percent about that?"

"You think he's lying? What, you wanna go _Guantanamo_ on the guy?"

"Maybe he doesn't even know what he knows. I say, at least we get him to Bobby's. Maybe all he needs is hypnosis or a psychic. Or hell, maybe Cas will just drop back into him."

"Let's hope not." I mumbled.

"What?"

"I don't know about you, but I don't want Cas to just _drop back in him_. Like Dean said, he has a family. He's been away from them for too long because of this. I mean, a year, Sam. Think about being possessed for a whole entire year."

"Okay, I get that. But back there, that was angel-on-angel violence. Now, I don't know what's going on, but it's big. And we can't just let the only lead we got just skip out."

"You remember when our job was helping people?" Dean asked, shaking his head. "Like, getting them back to their families?"

"You think I don't want to help him?" Sam asked. I raised an eyebrow, glancing up at Sam incredulously, watching him narrow his eyes. "Listen, I'm just being realistic. I mean, hell, we're doing him a favor."

"How?"

"If we want to question the guy, you can damn well bet the demons do, too."

I had to admit, Sam had a good point. And while I didn't like it, for the moment, Jimmy was safer with us than anywhere else. So we headed back into the room where Jimmy was still sitting at the table, finishing up his last burger.

"Hey, Jimmy." I murmured, shooting him a small smile.

"Hey. So, when am I getting out of here?" Jimmy asked, his eyes full of hope and relief.

Dean and I shared a look, not sure exactly how to tell him when Sam just came right out and said it. "Jimmy, you can't go home."

"What? The hell are you talking about, I can't go home?"

"There's a good chance you have a bull's-eye on your back." Dean explained.

"From who?"

"Demons." I added.

"Come on, that's crazy. What do they want with me?"

"Information, maybe? Castiel was with you for a year."

"But I don't know anything."

"Demons won't buy that, believe me."

"Look, I'm done, okay? With demons, angels, all of it. I just want to go home."

Dean nodded. "We understand."

"I don't think that you do understand. I've been shot and stabbed and healed, and my body has been dragged all over the earth. By some miracle, I'm out, and I am done. I've given enough, okay?"

"Look, all we're saying is that until we figure this out, the safest place is with us." Sam interjected, his voice softer this time.

"How long?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

Jimmy shook his head, trying to move past Sam to get to the door when Dean stopped him. "Where are you going?"

"To see my wife and daughter, okay?" Jimmy replied.

"No, you're not." Sam said. "You're just going to put those people in danger."

"So, what, now I'm a prisoner?"

"Harsh way to put it."

"I'm not doing this. You have to let me go."

"Jimmy, please. I want nothing more than to get you back to your family. But right now, you have to stay with us because at the moment, this is what's best for you, your wife and your daughter." I said, looking him in the eyes. "But you are _not_ a prisoner. You never were. And you never will be. "

"Fine." Jimmy nodded, sitting back down at the table.

* * *

A few hours passed by and Dean had fallen asleep on one of the beds. Sam was sitting on the other, reading a book. Something about the way he was acting throwing me off a little, but I let it go. I didn't know what to expect from him anymore, so I really didn't think much of it.

"Are you going to get some sleep?" I asked Jimmy.

"No." Jimmy mumbled.

"Aren't you tired?"

"No."

"Are you ever gonna say more than one word to me?"

"Tori, I just want to go home." Jimmy said, looking up at me with tears in his eyes.

"I know." I nodded, knowing the weight of the words I was about to say. But I accepted it. I'd see it through. "I'll make sure you get back to your family. I promise. And you'll be safe, all of you."

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"Because I know what it's like to be taken away from your family and have family taken away from you." I muttered, glancing over at Dean for a moment, thoughts of Peter and Rose running through my head as I looked back to Jimmy. "I don't want that to happen to you. Or anyone else."

Jimmy nodded. "Okay."

"You're staying up right?" I asked Sam.

"Uh, yeah." Sam replied from behind his book, his foot bouncing up and down erratically.

"Okay." I said, turning back to Jimmy. "Do you need anything before I jump in the shower?"

"No, I'm- I'm alright."

* * *

Once I dried off, I slipped on a pair of shorts and one of Dean's old t-shirt's making my way back into the room, noticing that it was now dark, all the lights turned off. I flipped one of them on, seeing that Sam was gone and so was Jimmy.

"Shit!"

"What!?" Dean shouted, quickly sitting upright, still half asleep, his hair sticking up all over the place. "What happened?"

"Jimmy is gone."

"Shit, really?"

"Yeah. I just left him to go take a shower. That little shit played along like he wasn't gonna go anywhere and then he left."

"Okay, well, where is Sam?"

"I don't know. He was in here when I got in the shower."

"Okay, well maybe he tried to sneak out and Sam nabbed him." Dean said, standing to his feet as Sam entered the room. I felt a pang of nausea hit my stomach again, but ignored it. It didn't seem strong enough for me to worry. "Hey, where's Jimmy?"'

"I don't know. You were watching him." Sam said, looking to me.

"No, _you_. You were watching him, Sam. I went to take a shower and you were supposed to watch him." I said.

"I don't know where he is."

"Well, where were you?"

"I went to get something to drink. Last I saw, Jimmy was asleep on the couch."

"Where's your drink?"

"Finished it." Sam mumbled strangely.

"We have to go find him." I said.

"Now?" Dean asked petulantly.

"Yes, now. Something could happen to him out there."

"Fine." Dean grumbled, standing up, chuckling as he did so.

"What?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

"I mean, _Mr. Big-Bad-Prison-Guard_ -" Dean grinned, looking over at his brother. "Jimmy McMook give you the slip? It's pretty funny."

"I was getting a _Coke_." Sam mumbled.

"Was it a refreshing _Coke_?"

"Would you two shut up already?" I asked, pulling my jacket on. "We have to go."

"In those?" Dean asked, glancing down to my shorts, staring a bit longer than necessary.

"Dean, I don't care. I want to find Jimmy."

"Alright." Dean said, all traces of humor leaving his voice as he walked over to me, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. "We'll find him, it'll be okay."

* * *

 **PONTIAC, ILLINOIS –** **NIGHT  
** One year ago. Third-person POV.

The house was quiet all except for the loud static coming from the kitchen. After coming home from the store, a bag of groceries in her hand, Amelia followed the noise, finding her husband in the kitchen, his arm in a pot of boiling water, a radio next to him on the counter.

"What the hell are you doing?" She shrieked.

"It's okay. I'm okay." Jimmy replied calmly, as if he wasn't boiling his own flesh.

"Jimmy-"

"Look."

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong. He asked me to do it."

"Who asked you to do it?"

"Castiel, to prove my faith."

"Who's Castiel?"

"Look." Jimmy smiled, pulling his arm out of the pot, and much to Amelia's astonishment and confusion, it was completely fine. "I'm fine. It's a miracle."

* * *

 **IMPALA – DAY  
** Present. TPOV

As the Impala sped down the dark road, the sun was beginning to come up above the treeline, shining down across the thick grass lining each side of the road. As usual, Sam was sitting up front next to Dean as he drove, leaving me in the backseat. Suddenly, the ringing in my ears got louder and I looked over, expecting to see Castiel sitting there, but instead saw Anna.

"Hi, guys." Anna said.

"Holy shi-" Dean exclaimed in shock and surprise, causing the Impala to swerve violently before he got control again.

"Smooth."

"You ever try calling ahead?"

"I like the element of surprise. You let Jimmy get away?"

"Talk to ginormo here." Dean said, nodding to Sam.

Anna glanced over at Sam, staring at him. "Sam. You seem...different."

"Me? I don't know." Sam chuckled awkwardly. "A haircut?"

"That's not what I'm talking about." Anna said pointedly, causing Sam to look away quickly.

I knew there was something wrong.

"How did you know about Jimmy?" I asked.

"Angel Radio. Haven't you been hearing it?"

"Well, the ringing-"

"Not the ringing. The voices."

"Voices?" Dean asked, looking at me in the rear-view mirror, his eyebrows raised.

"Okay, yes. I've been hearing voices." I mumbled.

"Really?" Sam asked, his eyes going wide as he glanced back at me.

Dean looked away slowly, letting out a breath. "What…?"

"It's angels coming through." Anna said. "With more of them working you're been getting a better connection, I guess."

"Why didn't you tell us about this?"

"I didn't really know how to say it." I shrugged. "It's not like I'm hearing anything useful. It's just a bunch of jumbled whispers barely breaking thorough the constant ringing. I can't even make out what they're saying."

"When did that start?"

"After Chuck's archangel came."

"That makes sense." Anna nodded. "The more powerful an angel you're around, the stronger it gets."

"Well, what does that mean?" Dean asked.

"I don't know."

"I didn't even realize what it was at first, not until a couple days ago, at least." I said." I didn't want to bother you guys, with everything going on."

"Tor, this is the stuff you have to bother us with." Dean said, glancing back at me. "Please."

"Are you mad?"

"No, of course not. I just want to you tell me these things."

"You two are so cute." Anna smiled at us before getting serious again. "So, what'd Jimmy tell you? He remember anything?"

"Why? What's going on?"

"It's Cas. He got sent back home. Well, more like dragged back."

"To heaven?" I asked. "Why is that a bad thing?"

"That's a very bad thing." Anna said. "Painfully, awfully bad. He must have seriously pissed someone off."

"Cas said he had something to tell me." Dean told her. "Something important."

"What?"

"I don't know."

"Does Jimmy know?"

"No, I don't think so." I said, shaking my head.

"You don't think so? Whatever it is, it's huge. You gotta find out for sure."

"That's why we're going after Jimmy." Sam said.

"That's why you shouldn't have let him go in the first place. He's probably dead already." Anna said, disappearing from sight.

"God, I hate angels." I mumbled, looking back out the window.

* * *

 **PONTIAC, ILLINOIS –** **NIGHT  
** One year ago. Third-person POV.

In the living room, Jimmy sat on the couch with his wife, Amelia, watching her as she pushed a bottle of little white pills into his hands.

"Take the pills." She repeated.

"I'm not sick." Jimmy insisted.

"Jimmy, take the pills."

"I know that this is hard to understand, but he chose me."

"Castiel, the angel?" Amelia asked incredulously.

"He's spoken to me now, Ames, a dozen times. Hey, you believe in God, don't you?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course."

"And angels?"

"Yes, Jimmy."

"So, why is it then so hard for you to believe that they're talking to me?"

"Jimmy, you sell ad time for A.M. radio." Amelia muttered, not wanting to be mean to her husband. He was the love of her life and she never wanted to hurt him, but she was worried for him. His sanity seemed to be slipping by more and more each day.

"No, he said that I'm special. It's in my blood." Jimmy pushed, just wishing his wife would believe him.

"What does that mean, it's in your blood?"

"He didn't say. He just said that God has chosen me for a higher purpose."

"To do what?"

"No, it's God's will. Not really my place to question it." Jimmy said, gently pulling Amelia into his arms. "Hey, come here. This is a blessing. This is the most important thing that ever happened to me."

Amelia pulled back, looking hurt. "I thought we were the most important things to ever happen to you."

"Hey, have faith."

"Jimmy, you're scaring me. I mean, you've changed. A lot."

"How so?"

"For one, you're sticking your arm in pots of boiling water."

"Castiel protected me-"

"And just the other day you went somewhere after work."

"I had to go to the church."

"To talk to a completely stranger?"

"Castiel told me to."

The day that Amelia was talking about was the day Jimmy went to go speak to Victoria Anderson at their local church. The building was empty, but he was told to go speak to her, so that was what he did. Much like his wife, she wasn't very receptive to the idea that an angel was speaking to him. But it was what he had to do. He had to deliver Castiel's message.

"Don't worry, Ames. God will provide." Jimmy added.

"If you won't take your pills and if you won't get help, then I'm going to take Claire to my mother's in the morning." Amelia said, leaving the room to go upstairs. Jimmy watched her for a moment, sadness filling him.

 _There had to be a way to prove this to her,_ Jimmy thought. _That it was all real._

With that thought, Jimmy got to his feet, pulling his suit jacket back into place, straightening his tie before slipping on his tan trench coat, making his way outside where he looked up to the sky, opening his arms out wide.

"So, I wanna to help you. I'm about to lose my family here if you don't tell me how. Please, Castiel, just talk to me. What do you want from me?" Jimmy asked. Just then, a soft light appeared before Jimmy, illuminated from above as the sound of faint whispers, the ones he was so used to, began again. "Promise my family will be okay and I'll do it."

" _Your family will be okay."_ The voice replied.

"Then, yes."

The soft light turned into a bright beam the shined down on Jimmy, he looked up into the light and within a split second, everything went white. He couldn't move his own body anymore, his control was gone and in place sat Castiel.

Hearing a sound behind him, Castiel turned to see Claire, Jimmy's daughter, exiting the house, walking over to him. "Daddy?"

"I am not your father." Castiel replied, his voice low and hard. Tears formed in Claire's eyes as she watched her father walk away and that was the last time she had seen him.

* * *

 **PONTIAC, ILLINOIS  
** Present. JPOV

The house looked exactly the same. It was the same color, the same bushes and trees sat out front, the same flowers planted in the garden, the ones Amelia loved so much. After hours of sitting on a bus, I had prepared something to say to them, the family I'd stupidly left so long ago, but everything I'd rehearsed over and over again seemingly left my mind as I peered in the window, seeing Claire sitting on the floor, Amelia next to her, helping her with homework.

With a deep breath, I steadied myself before approaching the door, ringing the doorbell. Amelia answered, a look of shock on her face before she forced it to become neutral. "We, uh- we stopped looking for you."

"I'm so sorry." I said, tears forming my eyes.

"You were dead. We thought you were dead."

"I'm okay. Can I- can I come in?"

"Uh." Amelia paused, glancing back inside. "One second."

"Okay." I nodded, watching as she shut the door. I leaned over, looking in through the window, seeing her directing Claire towards the stairs.

Once Claire left, Amelia opened the door again, inviting me in. "Okay."

We made our way to the living room where Claire's homework was spread across the coffee table. I felt a small, sad smile spread across my lips as I looked at them, glancing up to Amelia. "Can I see her?"

"No. No. I don't know yet. It's been almost a year, you know?"

"I know, I know."

"Yeah. Think your daughter would have wanted to know you were okay?"

I couldn't blame her for being angry at me. I was angry at myself. But I certainly wasn't about to continue with any of the angel crap. No, Amelia didn't need to hear that anymore. I didn't care if she ever really knew or believe what happened. I just wanted my family, my life back.

"I was in a psych clinic." I lied. "I just wanted to get myself straight before seeing you."

"Oh. And no telephones, or…?"

"No, I know. You're right. I'm- I'm so sorry. But it's all- it's all over now. I mean, I'm- I'm really okay."

"What does that mean?"

"I was- I was confused, Amelia. I was completely delusional. And I thought- I thought God was calling me to something and I thought that it was important, and I was wrong. I was such an idiot. Heaven, hell...none of that matters. The only thing that's important to me is you and Claire. And I- I can't undo what I've done. But I just wanna come home again."

"I don't know if I can do that. Not yet."

"I mean, whatever you're comfortable with. Maybe we could start with something smaller?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know...dinner?"

* * *

Thankfully, Amelia had accepted my offer and was in the kitchen preparing something. She'd finally told Claire she could come down. I watched as she approached me cautiously.

"Hi, Daddy."

"Hi, baby." I smiled, happiness filling my heart when she hugged me. I wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tightly to me.

"Okay, so we have turkey and roast beef. Better be okay. It's all we have." Amelia said, entering the room with a platter of sandwiches.

"Oh, it's fine. It's more than fine." I said. "Should we sit?"

"Yeah."

"It's perfect." I sighed, smiling at Amelia and Claire as we sat, tears forming in my eyes.

"Daddy, aren't you going to say Grace?" Claire asked.

"No, honey, I don't think I am."

"Why are you crying?"

"Because I'm happy."

Just then, the doorbell rang and Amelia got up to answer it, her voice sounding in the distance. "Hey, Roger."

"Hey, Ames. How you doing?"

"Good."

"Am I crazy or did I just see your husband wander in here about half an hour ago?"

"Yeah, uh, you did. But, Roger, now is not a good time." Amelia said as I walked up behind her.

Rodger opened his arms, a big smile on his face as we hugged. "Hey, there he is. Son of a bitch. What the hell happened to you?"

"Ah, long story. But it's over." I replied.

"Yeah?"

"I'm good."

"Can I talk to you?"

"Can I get you a beer?" Amelia asked, backing up towards the kitchen.

"That'd be good, thanks." Rodger smiled at her as she left. "Buddy, you scared the hell out of a lot of people."

"I know." I nodded.

"So really, what happened?"

"Honestly, worst year of my life and you wouldn't believe a word of it, but it's all okay now. I swear."

"Actually, no, it's not."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean I'm gonna gut your daughter while you watch." Rodger said sinisterly, his eyes turning pitch black.

My chest clenched tight as Amelia walked back just as his eyes shifted to normal and she handed him a beer. "Here you go."

Trying to keep my breathing even, I waited until Rodger was distracted with his beer before taking a large candle stick of the mantle, hitting him over the head with it, dropping to my knees as he hit the floor, continuing to hit him.

"What are you doing!?" Amelia shouted. "Jimmy, stop!"

"He's a demon!" I exclaimed. "Run!"

Amelia didn't listen, staying there in shock in fear. Once Rodger seemed unconscious, I stood, grabbing Amelia by the arm before taking Claire as well, pushing the both of them in front of me into our pantry, looking through the shelves.

"Roger was your best friend." Amelia muttered, clutching Claire to her.

"Rodger was a demon, dammit." I said, finally finding the bag of salt, creating a line in front of the door. "Don't cross this line."

"Jimmy, you thought you were better, but you are so sick."

"Look, I am not crazy."

"You stay the hell away from us!" Amelia shouted, pushing Claire behind her, backing as far away from me as possible.

"This is all very, very real."

"Stay the hell away from us!"

"Claire, sweetie-" I began, moving to walk towards her when Amelia pushed me back.

"No! Run!" Amelia shouted to Claire, holding me back with all of her strength as Claire ran out of the room, breaking the salt line.

Eventually, I got free of Amelia's grasp, rushing after Claire. Amelia stayed close behind me, shouting at me to leave Claire alone as we went. I stopped dead in my tracks as we entered the dining room, seeing that Rodger had Claire, holding a knife to her throat. "Hey, pal. Told you I'd gut the bitch."

"Rodger?" Amelia asked, her voice shaking.

"Just let her go, okay?" I asked.

"Now, me, I would. But the missus, she has other ideas." Rodger shrugged.

Just then, I felt someone throw me to the ground, looking up to see Rodger's wife kneeling on top of me, punching me before looking over her shoulder at Amelia with black eyes.

"Oh, my God!" Amelia cried. "No!"

Amelia jumped on Rodger's wife, but she quickly threw her back, sending her flying across the room. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dean appear behind Rodger, holding a knife to his throat and just before he cut it, Tori grabbed Claire, turning her away from the sight of a man being killed so she wouldn't see.

I couldn't be more grateful to her for doing that.

Sam entered the room, his hand stretched out towards Rodger's wife, holding her still without even touching her for only a moment.

"Aw, can't get it up, Sam?" She taunted, stalking forward.

"Come on, go." Tori said, corralling Amelia, Claire and I together, leading us to the door. I looked back as Dean moved behind Rodger's wife.

"No, but I can." He said, stabbing her with the knife just as black smoke flew out of her body and she fell to the ground, dead.

* * *

TPOV

After I'd gotten Jimmy and his family out to the Impala, I grabbed a flew blankets from the trunk, giving them to Amelia and Claire to wrap around themselves in the backseat.

"Thank you." Jimmy said, looking down. "I should have listened to you. I shouldn't have come here."

"No." I said, looking over at him. "But it's okay. Everyone's safe. That's all that matters now."

"Everybody good?" Dean asked, practically holding Sam up as they rushed towards us.

"What happened?"

"Nothing." Sam mumbled.

"Let's go." Dean said, getting into the driver seat. Jimmy slid into the backseat with his wife and daughter while I got into the front seat between the boys and Dean peeled away from the house.

* * *

 **PARKING GARAGE – NIGHT**

After driving a good forty-five minutes away from the Novak's house, Dean pulled the Impala into a dimly lit parking garage so we could all regroup. I still felt a tinge of nausea in my stomach, but usually did after an encounter with more than one demon, so I shrugged it off, following the guys out of the Impala while Claire and Amelia stayed in the backseat.

"I'm telling you, I don't know anything." Jimmy said.

"I don't think they're inclined to believe you." Dean told him.

"Even if they did, you're still a vessel." I added. "That's something to them. They're gonna want to find out what makes you tick."

"Which means vivisection, if they're feeling generous."

"I'm gonna tell you once again, you're putting your family in danger." Sam said, his voice short. "You have to come with us."

"How long?" Jimmy asked. "And don't give me that _cross that bridge when we get to it_ shit."

"Don't you get it? Forever. The demons will never stop. You can never be with your family. So you either get as far away from them as possible or you put a bullet in your head. And that's how you keep your family safe. But there's no getting out and there's no going home."

"Jesus Christ, Sam." I hissed, looking over at him with wide eyes, noticing that he was becoming more and more tense with each passing second. Something was up.

"I'm just telling him the truth, Tori. Someone has to."

"Could be a little nicer about it."

"Because nice did such a great job before?" Sam asked pointedly, and I immediately knew what he was talking about.

"Again, you were supposed to be watching him, Sam."

"Okay, can you guys just- really?" Dean asked, looking between the both of us.

"I'm gonna go find Amelia a car." Sam huffed, walking away.

Jimmy ignored us for the most part, turning to open the back door. Amelia looked up at him, her hand on Claire's shoulder as she slept next to her. "So I pretty much owe you the biggest apology ever."

"No, you don't." Jimmy replied, shaking his head. Dean and I backed up a bit, giving the family their space to sort things through.

"Yes, I do. I'm so sorry, Jimmy. And I will never, ever forgive myself for letting you walk out that door."

"Well, you did what any rational person would have done. I mean, hell, I thought I was crazy half the time.'

"So, demons, huh?"

"Yeah."

I leaned in closer to Dean, keeping my voice low as I watched Sam walk towards a car a few rows down. "Does Sam seem okay to you?"

"No, not at all." Dean replied.

"He's a little...I don't know, short. Kinda twitchy."

"Yeah, he's getting really angry."

"Is he- I mean, is he doing drugs?"

"Sam?" Dean scoffed out a laugh. "No."

"I'm serious, Dean."

"Me, too. The kids never even touched a bong." Dean joked, trying to hide his worry even though I could see it clear as day.

"Can we even go home?" Amelia asked her husband. "What are we gonna do?"

"They're gonna get you a car, don't ask me how." Jimmy said. "And you're gonna take Claire to Carl and Sally's as fast as you can."

"Wait, what about you? No, I'm not going anywhere without you, Jimmy."

"Listen to me. Every moment that I'm with you, you and Claire are in danger."

"I don't care. We are not splitting up again." Amelia said fiercely.

"We don't have a choice."

"For how long?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"We're a family." Amelia muttered, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"They will kill you, Amelia, and they'll kill Claire. You just have to get as far away from me as you can." Jimmy said, his voice thick with emotion as he pulled his wife in for a hug. I glanced up to Dean as he looked down at me, the both of us sharing a sad look.

"Can't we just take them all to Bobby's?" I asked. "At least they can stay together."

"I wish." Dean mumbled.

The sound of an engine roaring in the distance echoed through the garage, headlights shining on us as Sam pulled a small black car up beside the Impala, stepping out. "Okay, so here's your car."

Amelia gently woke Claire up, getting out of the car with her. Jimmy bent down in front of his daughter, pushing some hair behind her ear. "Hey. Take care of your mom, okay, bub?"

"Okay." Claire nodded.

Jimmy gave her one last tight hug before getting into the backseat of the Impala with me. I placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him in a time when I knew nothing but being with his family could do that. But I still had to try.

* * *

After a while of driving, Jimmy had fallen asleep, his head resting against the window. Dean glanced over at his brother, a questioning look in his eyes.

"What?" Sam asked.

"You practically fainted trying to gank a demon." Dean said.

"Yeah, Dean had to carry you out." I added.

"Okay, I didn't faint. I got a little dizzy." Sam said, glancing back at me. "And didn't didn't carry me."

"Well, you can call it whatever you want." Dean said. "Point is, you used to be strong enough to kill Alastair. Now you can't even kill a stunt-demon number three?"

"What do you want me to say about it?"

"Well for starters, what's going on with your mojo? I mean, it's yo-yoing all over the place. I'm not trying to pick a fight here, okay? I just- you're scaring me, man."

"I'm scaring myself." Sam mumbled, pulling his ringing cell phone out of his pocket. "Hello? Who is this?" I heard a muffled voice on the other end before Sam turned, holding the phone out to Jimmy. "Hey, it's your wife."

"Jimmy." I called, shaking him slightly, watching him wake slowly. "Your wife is on the phone."

Immediately, Jimmy sat upright, taking the phone from Sam. "Amelia? Oh, my God."

* * *

 **WAREHOUSE – NIGHT**

After Jimmy handed the phone back to Sam, his hands were shaking and he was shouting about how demons had Amelia and Claire and we needed to turn around right now. Dean didn't argue very much because Jimmy was becoming erratic about it, and I'm sure if Dean didn't comply, Jimmy would've tried to crawl to the drivers seat and get us all killed.

Once again, Dean was speeding back to that old warehouse where we'd found Jimmy originally, stopping the Impala out front.

"Alright, they're expecting you to come alone." Dean said as the four of us got out of the car. "That's exactly what you're gonna do."

"We'll work our way through the catwalks. We'll be right behind you the whole time, there's nothing to worry about." I told Jimmy.

"All you gotta do is stay calm and stall. Let us do our job."

"You want me to stay calm?" Jimmy asked. "This is my family we're talking about."

"Listen to me, this will work. You understand? Nobody's gonna get hurt."

"Yeah, whatever. Give me a minute, okay?" Jimmy said, walking towards the warehouse.

"There's no way they're expecting him to come alone, Dean." Sam said. "You know this is probably a trap."

"Yeah, I know. That's why I have a plan." Dean smiled.

"Castiel, you son of a bitch!" Jimmy shouted into the sky, startling me.

"Oh, whoa." I mumbled, my eyes going wide.

"You promised me my family would be okay. You promised you were gonna take care of them. I gave you everything you asked me to give. I gave you more. This is the thanks I get? This is what you do? This is your heaven? Help me, please. You promised, Cas. Just help me."

I let out a heavy breath, looking down to the ground as Jimmy opened the creaky warehouse door, entering the building.

"Okay, let's hear that plan of yours." I said, turning to Dean. "'Cause I think Jimmy's about to lose it."

* * *

All Dean's plan involved was us sneaking in from the back of the warehouse arms with salt rounds and holy water. Needless to say, they caught us pretty easily and now we were each being led to the main part of the warehouse with demons holding us.

"P.S. You should've come alone." Amelia said.

"I am alone." Jimmy replied.

"Oh, you're such a liar. Like I didn't think you'd bring _The Three Stooges_ , hm?"

I sighed as the demons led us where Jimmy and his family was. Claire sat tied to a chair, unconscious. "Nice plan, babe."

"Yeah, well, nobody bats a thousand."

"Ain't that the truth." I mumbled, gaining a glare from Dean.

"Got the knife?" Amelia asked. The demon holding Sam held up Ruby's knife, handing it to her. "And you know what's funny?"

"You wearing a soccer mom?" Dean asked.

"Is I was actually bummed to get this detail, picking up an empty vessel. Sort of like a milk run. Now look who landed in my lap."

"Yeah, well, you got us, okay? Let these people go." Sam said.

"Oh, Sam. It's easy to act chivalrous when your _Wonder Girl_ powers aren't working, huh? Now for the punch line. Everybody dies." Amelia smiled, holding up a gun, shooting Jimmy in the stomach.

"No!" I cried, watching him drop to his knees.

"Sorry sweetie, only five percent of possession victims survive." Amelia said, turning to another demon in the room. "Waste _Little Orphan Annie_."

As she left, she gave the demon holding Sam Ruby's knife and the other demon walked over to Claire, picking up a pipe. I watched in horror as he swung it at her, but before it could make contact, the ringing in my ears became loud once again and Claire's hand snapped up. She grabbed the pipe in one hand, busting out of the rope to place a hand on the demons head. The demon let out a scream as a bright light shined through their body and they fell to the ground, dead. While the demons hold us were distracted, the three of us turned on them. I stomped my foot on the demon behind me, throwing my head back to slam it into his when he jerked forward.

When he let me go, I turned around, dodging his grasp again before landing a punch to his face, pulling out my flask of holy water, throwing some on him, watching as his skin sizzled. He quickly grabbed me, pushing me to the ground, placing his hands around my throat.

"Tori!" Dean shouted, struggling to get to me against the demon that was holding him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sam grab Ruby's knife back from the demon that was holding him, holding her down, staring at her neck.

"Castiel." Jimmy murmured.

In Claire's body, Castiel moved over to me, placing a hand on the demon's head, killing him. I pulled in a sharp breath as he fell to the ground next to me, watching Cas as he went over over to Dean, who was being punched repeatedly by another demon, quickly killing him.

Just as Dean pulled me up to him, we all looked over to Sam, to see that he had slit the demon's throat and was hungrily sucking blood from the wound. Sam looked up at us, his mouth completely covered in blood as it dripped down his chin. My mouth fell open as Dean and I - and even Castiel - watched in absolute horror. I felt nausea sink into my stomach, that feeling of wanting to gag filling my throat. But I couldn't. I couldn't move, I couldn't speak. I could barely breathe.

What was I even seeing?

Once he realized we were watching, Sam turned back to the demon, stabbing him through the heart with Ruby's knife, killing him. He stood just as Amelia tried to run out of the building, holding a hand out to catch her, exorcising her without saying a word or laying a hand on her and Amelia fell to the ground, unconscious, but alive.

Dean and I stood still, in the same exact spot as before, his hands on my hips, my back against his chest, the both of us breathing heavily, terrified...horrified, upset, worried and angry.

"Of course we keep our promises. Of course you have our gratitude. You served us well. Your work is done. It's time to go home now. Your real home. You'll rest forever in the fields of the Lord." Castiel said to Jimmy, still using Claire as a vessel.

"No. Claire?" Jimmy asked.

"She's with me now. She's chosen. It's in her blood, as it was in yours."

"Please, Castiel. Me. Just take me. Take me, please."

"I want to make sure you understand. You won't die or age. If this last year was painful for you, picture a hundred, a thousand more like it." Castiel said.

"It doesn't matter. You take me. Just take me." Jimmy said through gritted teeth.

"As you wish."

Castiel reached a hand out, touching Jimmy's face. A bright light emanated from his eyes and mouth. In an instant, Claire dropped to her hands and knees in front of her father, watching as he stood. Amelia had woken up by now, watching Jimmy for a moment before running to her daughter, embracing her. Castiel, now in Jimmy's body, met Amelia's eyes for a moment before turning to go.

"Cas, hold up. What were you gonna tell me?" Dean asked.

"I learned my lesson while I was away, Dean. I serve heaven, I don't serve man." Castiel said, his eyes hardening as he looked between Dean and I. "And I certainly don't serve you."

* * *

Once we'd made sure that both Claire and Amelia were _demon-free_ we got them another car and sent them on their way. Sam stayed back in the warehouse, cleaning up some things while Dean and I saw Amelia and Claire off, making sure they got out okay.

After they were gone, I wrapped my arms around myself, staring off into the distance.

"Tori?" Dean called.

"Yeah?" I asked, glancing up at him.

"Sam is-"

"Completely and totally fucked up?"

"Uh, something like that, yeah."

"All his psychic bullshit, that came from drinking fucking demon blood?" I asked in disgust.

"Yeah, I fucking guess." Dean huffed, throwing his arms out.

"And all those times he was jittery, was that- I mean, was that...withdraws?"

"Maybe."

"Why? Why would he ever do that, Dean?" I asked, my voice cracking.

"I don't know that either." Dean mumbled, a hard edge to his voice.

Just then a thought came into my head and I knew exactly why Sam had started all of this. "Ruby."

"What?"

"That demon bitch." I spat, looking up to Dean. "I swear, I will kill her if it's the last fucking thing I do on this earth."

"Couldn't agree more." Dean nodded, glancing down at me with angry, but mostly scared eyes. "What do we do now?"

"My best guess is call Bobby. We can't do this alone."

"And I think Sam needs time away from Ruby, from demon blood, from all the bullshit."

"Yeah, how are we gonna make that happen?" I asked, seeing that look in his eyes. "Don't tell me you have a plan."

"I do."

"Sure, okay." I sighed, watching Dean pull his phone out, dialing Bobby's number.

"Bobby? Hey. Tori and I need your help with a...problem." Dean said. "What about Sam? He's kind of the problem with need help with. You still have that panic room?"

* * *

 **IMPALA – NIGHT**

Once Dean had told Bobby what happened with Sam, a heavy silence came through the receiver, even Bobby was speechless. But he quickly promised that he'd come up with a reason to get us there and get Sam into the panic room if it was _the last damn thing he ever fucking did_. Both Dean and I were upset and angry beyond words. You could feel the waves coming off of us a mile away. But we had to tone it down otherwise Sam would know right away. And that would ruin everything.

"Alright, let's hear it." Sam said from the backseat, looking up between Dean and I.

"What?" Dean asked, glancing back at his brother.

"Drop the bombs. You saw what I did. Come on, stop the car, take a couple swings. I know you want to."

"No, Sam." I said. "We're not gonna beat you up."

"Then scream, chew me out."

"We're not mad, Sam." Dean mumbled, his voice toneless.

"Come on." Sam scoffed. "You're not mad?"

"No." I shook my head.

"Right. Look, at least let me explain myself."

"Don't. I don't care." Dean droned.

"You don't care?"

"What do you want me to say, that I'm disappointed? Yeah, I am. But, mostly, I'm just tired, man. I'm done. I am just done."

"Tori?" Sam asked, glancing over at me.

"You don't have to explain anything, Sam. And I have nothing to say. Am I upset? I mean, yeah. But I agree with Dean. I'm done."

Just then, Sam phone rang and I felt a pang of nervousness fill me as he answered it. "Hey, Bobby."

" _Hey, you kids better shag ass to my place ASAP._ " I heard Bobby said.

"What's going on?"

" _The apocalypse, genius. Now get your asses over here._ "

"What'd he say?" Dean asked as Sam hung up.

"He needs our help."

"Alright." Dean nodded, reaching to turn the radio up as he pulled onto the highway.

* * *

 **BOBBY'S HOUSE – NIGHT**

After a few more hours of sitting with a pit in my stomach, we finally arrived at Bobby's where the pit in my stomach was now becoming a boulder. I tried to pull in deep breaths, letting them out slowly without having Sam notice too much. Bobby opened the door for us as soon as he heard the Impala pull up and we entered the house.

"Well thanks for shagging ass." Bobby said, leading us downstairs.

"Yeah, you got it." Dean nodded.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Couple big omens brewing. Might have something to do with the next seal."

"Okay."

Bobby opened the door to the panic room, nodding for Sam to go in first. "Go on, I wanna show you something."

"Alright." Sam nodded, stepping inside. "So, uh, what's the big demon problem?"

"You are. This is for your own good."

Just as Sam's eyes widened in realization, the three of us shut the door on him, locking it as he ran to the barred window. "Guys? Hey, what? This isn't funny, guys!"

"I'm sorry, Sam." I muttered as Bobby pulled the cover over the window, latching it shut.

Dean wrapped an arm around me as he, Bobby and I headed back towards the stairs while Sam began pounding on the door in a completely panic.

"Guys?!"

* * *

 **Lots of revelations in this one...not a whole lot of fun. That's supernatural for ya. Honestly, I'm kind of bummed that Jimmy will never really be in the story again. I love Cas (maybe not so much in the story right now. he's just super misunderstood at the moment lol) but Jimmy's great, too.  
**

 ** _Btdubs (_ aw, Charlie _)_ only two more chapters until the end of _Losing My Religion_! I mean, what? When did that happen? **

**Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it and remember, your reviews give me life! ;D**

 **Twitter: phoenixwrites79  
Instagram: phoenixwritesfanficton**


	24. When the Levee Breaks

_Hanging from my fingertips, you're a phantom limb_  
 _Start to slide, branches die, I'm buried under it_  
 _Thought I was climbing by your side, you left me behind_  
 _I saw our future up ahead, now it's caving in_  
 _I feel the ground, it's giving out_

 _We were reckless from the start, like we could handle it_  
 _Before we even fell apart, you abandoned it_  
 _And now I long to feel the sun washing over me_  
 _And melt away the damage done from the memory_  
 _I won't stay down, I'm digging out_

 _Let go, you won't know_  
 _You don't know, you don't know until you let go_

 _It came rolling down on us_  
 _Didn't think it'd weigh this much_  
 _And it's hard to dance, dance through the avalanche_  
 _It's our curse, hearts frozen in time_  
 _Crashing down a mountain side_  
 _And it's hard to dance, dance through the avalanche_

 **Flyleaf – Avalanche**

* * *

After we'd left Sam inside the panic room, exactly one hour passed before he started screaming, shouting, pleading for it to stop. Calling Dean, calling me, calling Bobby for help. And all we could do was sit here. Just sit here and do nothing. It was starting to grate on all of us.

Next to me at the kitchen table, Dean refilled my glass of whiskey before doing the same to his own, downing it all in one gulp. Bobby stood leaning against the sink, his own glass of liquor in his grasp. Between the three of us, we were on our way to emptying Bobby's entire liquor collection.

"Stop! Stop!" Sam cried, his voice echoing through the vents. With a heavy breath, I grabbed my glass of whiskey drinking about half of it.

"How long is this gonna go on?" Dean asked tiredly.  
"Here, let me look it up in my demon-detox manual." Bobby said, leaning forward slightly before moving back. "Oh wait. No one ever wrote one."

"Bobby." I scolded.

"No telling how long it'll take. Hell, or if Sam will even live through it." Just then, the phone rang, and Bobby moved over to answer it. "Suck dirt and die, Rufus. You call me again, I'll kill you."

"Whoa." I mumbled as Dean and I shared a wide-eyed look while Bobby slammed the phone back onto it's cradle.

"What's up with Rufus?" Dean asked.

"He knows." Bobby replied as the phone rang again. With a roll of his eyes, Bobby answered again. "I'm busy, you son of a bitch. This better be important." Bobby's eyes widened as Rufus spoke, and I could tell that whatever he'd said wasn't good. "Alright. Be careful out there, asshole."

"What's wrong?" I asked as Bobby hung up quickly, making his way into the living room to his desk.

"News."

"News?"

Dean and I got up, following Bobby as he went through some papers and books. "And it ain't good."

"What did he tell you?"

"Ten different species went extinct in Key West."

"And?" Dean asked.

"And a fifteen-man fishing crew all stricken blind in Alaska, cause unknown. New York, teacher goes postal, locks the door, kills exactly sixty-six kids. All this in a single day."

"So, what does that mean?" I asked. "More seals?"

"No doubt about it. They're all seals. And they're breaking fast."

"Well, how many are left?" Dean asked.

"Who knows? Can't be many. Where the hell are your angel pals?"

"Beats me." I shrugged.

"I'm just wondering." Bobby trailed off. "The apocalypse being nigh and all...is now really the right time to be having this little domestic drama of ours?"

Dean furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't like this any more than you do, but Sam can kill demons. He's got a shot at stopping Armageddon."

"So what? Sacrifice Sam's life, his soul, for the greater good? Is that what you're saying? Times are bad, so let's use Sam as a nuclear warhead?" Dean asked, immediately becoming irate at the suggestion.

"We can't do that, Bobby." I said.

"Look, I know you guys hate me for suggesting it. I hate me for suggesting it. I love that boy like a son. All I'm saying is maybe he's here right now instead of on the battlefield because we love him too much."

* * *

DPOV

After Bobby's suggestion, I headed outside to get some fresh air, leaving the house, walking along a dirt path on the large property. There had to be a way out of this. There had to be something. Those fucking angels had to do something.

"Cas!" I called out into the night air, looking up at the sky like a dumbass. At least Tori wasn't here to see this, having stayed inside to help Bobby do some more research on the seals that have been broken. "Cas! I know you hear me!"

About ten minutes had passed of me walking around in the dark, calling up to the clouds. I was just about to head back to the house when I felt a gust of air behind me. "What do you want?"

"It's about time. I've been screaming myself hoarse out here." I said, getting a blank look from the angel. "You want to know what I want? I want you to tell me what the hell happened in Illinois."

"What do you mean?"

"Cut the shit. You were gonna tell me something."

"Well, nothing of import."

"You got ass-reamed in heaven but it was _not of import_?" I asked incredulously.

"Dean, I can't. I'm sorry. Get to the reason you really called me. It's about Sam, right?"

"Can he do it? Kill Lilith, stop the apocalypse?"

"Possibly, yes. But as you know, he'd have to take certain steps."

"Crank up the hell-blood regimen."

"Consuming the amount of blood it would take to kill Lilith would change your brother forever. Most likely, he would become the next creature that you would feel compelled to kill. There's no reason this would have to come to pass, Dean. We believe it's you, Dean, not your brother. The only question for us is whether you're willing to accept it. Stand up and accept your role. You are the one who will stop it."

"If I do this, Sammy doesn't have to?"

"If it gives you comfort to see it that way."

"God, you're a dick these days." I mumbled, letting out a sigh. What was I even saying yes to? Did it even matter? "Fine. I'm in."

"You give yourself over wholly to the service of God and his angels?" Cas asked.

"Yeah, exactly."

"Say it."

I rolled my eyes, throwing my arms out. "I give myself over wholly to serve God and you guys."

"You swear to follow his will and his word as swiftly and obediently as you did your own father's?"

"Yes, I swear. Now what?"

"Now you wait, and we call on you when it's time." Cas said, and with that, he disappeared.

* * *

TPOV

Between Sam's cried and pleas for help and the ringing that suddenly came rushing to the forefront of my mind, my aneity sky-rocketed and as I was about to go look for Dean, who had been gone for a little over a half our now, the sound of the front door opening caught my attention and I met Dean in the doorway to the living room.

"I heard ringing. What happened? Is Cas here?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. He was. I called him outside." Dean replied.

"And he came?"

"Yeah."

"What happened?"

"Nothing." Dean shrugged, beginning to move past me when I placed a hand on his chest, stopping him.

"Dean, what happened? What did you talk about?"

"Sam."

"And?"

"He said that if I told him I was willing to serve God and the angels, Sam wouldn't have to do this, he wouldn't have to fight."

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "So- so what, are you a priest now? What does that mean, you'll _serve_ them?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you willingly signed up to be the angels' bitch?" Bobby asked, gaining a glare from Dean. "I'm sorry. You prefer _sucker_? After everything you said about them, now you trust them?"

"Come on, give me a little credit." Dean said, looking between Bobby and I. "I've never trusted them less. I mean, they come on like shady politicians from planet Vulcan."

"Then why in the hell did you-"

"Because what other option do I have? It's either trust the angels or let Sammy trust a demon?"

"I see your point."

"They're all the same to me." I mumbled, shaking my head, worried about what this meant for Dean.

"You hear that?" Dean asked and I glanced up, noticing the complete silence that had taken over, replacing Sam's shouts.

"That's a little too much nothing." Bobby said.

W bolted down to the basement and over to the panic room. I got there first, opening the window, seeing Sam lying on the ground having a seizure.

"Sam!" I cried, my stomach flopping widely as I reached for the doorknob.

Dean grabbed my hand, holding me back. "What if he's faking?"

"You really think he would?" Bobby asked.

"I think he'd do anything."

Suddenly, Sam was lifted off the ground and slammed hard against the wall by an invisible force. Dean dropped my hands, allowing me to open the door. Bobby, Dean and I rushed over to Sam, grabbing his arms. It took all three of us to get control of Sam as he flailed, pinning him to the cot in the middle of the room.

"We're gonna have to tie him down for his own safety." Bobby said. "Before he has another fit."

While Bobby and Dean held Sam down, I went to get some chains, a sad feeling in my chest as we proceeded to chain Sam to the cot like a wild animal.

* * *

"I'm gonna ask one more time. Are we absolutely sure we're doing the right thing?" Bobby asked, looking over at Dean and I from his spot leaning against his desk.

"Bobby, you saw what was happening to him down there. The demon blood is killing him." Dean said.

"No, it isn't. We are."

"What?"

"I'm sorry. I can't bite my tongue any longer. We're killing him. Keeping him locked up down there. This cold-turkey thing isn't working. If- if he doesn't get what he needs, soon, Sam's not gonna last much longer."

"I'm not giving him demon blood. I won't do it."

"And if he dies?"

"Then at least he dies human!" Dean shouted angrily. "I would die for him in a second, but I won't let him do this to himself. I can't. I guess I found my line. I won't let my brother turn into a monster."

Suddenly, the ringing in my ears got louder and I looked around, not seeing an angel anywhere. "Someone's here."

"From upstairs or downstairs?" Bobby asked, glancing over at me.

"Upstairs. It's an angel." I said, moving past him and Dean, following a gut feeling that told me to go to the basement. As I opened the door, the ringing quieted, but not before I heard the click of the panic room door. "Sam!?"

Rushing down the stairs, Bobby and Dean were on my heels. A sinking feeling filled my chest as I stood in front of the panic room, lifting the cover on the window to see that it was empty. With that, I unlocked it as fast as I possible could, staring into the room with wide eyes.

"How the hell did he get out?" Dean asked from behind me.

"Maybe he had help. Room full of busted devil's traps." Bobby said, looking around the basement.

"Demons?" Dean muttered, an angry look on his face. "Ruby."

"That'd be my guess."

"But I felt an angel." I said.

"Why would an angel let Sam out?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. If it was Ruby how the hell did she even touch the door?"

"You think she's got the mojo?"

"No. She might as well be a stunt demon. She's not nothing."  
"What difference does it make?" Bobby asked. "How he got gone ain't as important as where he got gone to."

"I hope he's with Ruby." I hissed.

"Why?"

"Because killing her is the only thing I can think about doing right now."

"Sounds good to me." Dean said, heading for the steps. "Let's go."

"I thought you were on call for angel duty." Bobby said, stopping him.

"I am on call. In my car, on my way to murder the bitch."

"I'm with you on that." I said, going over to his side.

"One thing." Bobby called.

"What?"

"Sam don't wanna be found, which means he's gonna be damn near impossible to find."

"Yeah, we'll see." Dean scoffed, turning to go upstairs.

"Be careful out here, Bobby." I said, watching him nod once before I went up the steps to meet Dean.

* * *

 **IMPALA – NIGHT**

Dean and I hadn't been in the car for more than ten minutes when Bobby called, letting us know that the police had found his car abandoned in an alley not too far away. Still in North Dakota, which meant Sam was at least still in the state.

"He's switching up. Any other cars stolen in Jamestown?" Dean asked.

" _Two. 1999 Honda Civic, blue. Nice and anonymous, like Sam likes._ " Bobby replied.

"The other one?" I asked.

" _White oh-five Escalade with custom rims. It's a neon sign._ "

"You're right. He'd never take that." Dean nodded, glancing over at me.

"Which is why he did." I said.

"Exactly."

" _You think?_ " Bobby asked.

"We know that kid. He thinks we don't, but we do." Dean replied. "Alright, I'll head in that direction. You stay here, ride the police databases. We gotta find him quick."

Bobby hung up then, letting silence fall over Dean and I. I let out a heavy breath, glancing out the window. "We have no idea what we're gonna find."

"You think he'd go dark that fast?" Dean asked, his voice shaking even though he tried not to let it show.

"I don't know. I don't know anything anymore."

"We'll get him back."

"Yeah?" I asked, glancing over at Dean.

"Yeah." Dean nodded, not meeting my eyes as he stared straight ahead, swallowing hard. "Yeah."

* * *

After driving to Jamestown, I'd just gotten off the phone with Bobby, who told us that some cops found the Escaade in a ditch outside Elk River, which we were only a few hours away from. Bobby did his thing and found a town not far from there that was lighting up with demon signs. Something was going down, and we had very little doubt that it had to do with Sam.

So now, we were on our way to Cold Springs.

As Dean and I sat in silence, Bobby words echoed through my head. _Us finding Sam? It's gotta be about getting him back, not pushing him away. I know you're mad. I understand. You got a right to be, but I'm just saying. Be good to him anyway. You gotta get through to him._

A sense of fear settled into my stomach at the thought of losing control of the situation and Sam getting away again. We couldn't let that happen.

* * *

There was only one hotel in Cold Springs, leading us straight to Sam. Dean parked far enough away and we crept into the building, hiding around the corner of the main hallway as a door opened. Sam walked out, moving in the opposite direction, looking much, much healthier. A pang of nausea hit me and I immediately knew why.

Once Sam was out of sight, I moved in front of Dean to the room his brother had just exited, knocking on the door. As soon as Ruby opened it, I punched her right in the face, sending her flying back, caught off guard. She looked up a me with wide eyes wiping blood off her lip before charging at me, grabbing the tops of my arms, pushing me hard against the wall, headbutting me.

"You're dead, bitch." I spat, digging my nails into her elbows. Dean grabbed her arms, pulling her off of me.

"There's no way for you to kill me." Ruby retorted.

"Oh, yeah" I asked, pulling up the knife that I'd swiped from her pocket.

Just as I lifted the knife, I felt arms wrap around me and looked up to see Sam holding me. "No! Dean let her go."

Dean shook his head. "No, she's not going anywhere."

"You can't kill her."

"Watch me." I hissed.

"She's poison, Sam." Dean said.

"It's not what you think." Sam said.

"Look what she did to you. I mean, she up and vanishes weeks at a time, leaves you cracking out for another hit-"

"She was looking for Lilith."

"That is French for manipulating your ass ten ways from Sunday." Dean said as Ruby shook her head in front of him.

"You're wrong, Dean."

"Sam, you're lying to yourself. We just want you to be okay. You would do the same for me. For Tori. You know you would."

"Just listen for a second. We got a lead on a demon close to Lilith. Come with us, guys. We'll do this together." Sam said. Ruby rose an eyebrow at that, glancing up at Sam with a shake of her head.

"That sounds great." Dean nodded. "As long as it's just the three of us. Demon bitch is a dealbreaker. You kiss her goodbye, we can go right now."

"I can't. I need her to help me kill Lilith. I know you can't wrap your head around it, but maybe one day you'll understand. I'm the only one who can do this, Dean." Sam said, still holding me back from Ruby, knowing that if he let go, she'd be dead.

"No, you're not the one who's gonna do this." Dean said, not letting Ruby free and for some reason, she wasn't struggling much, seeming to enjoy their argument.

"Right, that's right, I forgot. The angels think it's you."

"You don't think I can?"

"No. You can't. You're not strong enough."

"And who the hell are you?"

"Why don't we all just shut up?" I asked, being ignored.

"I'm being practical here. I'm doing what needs to be done."

"Yeah? You're not gonna do a single damn thing."

"Stop bossing me around, Dean. Look. My whole life, you take the wheel, you call the shots, and I trust you because you are my brother. Now I'm asking you, for once, trust me."

"No. You don't know what you're doing, Sam."

"Yes, I do."

"Then that's worse."

"Why? Look, I'm telling you-"

"Because it's not something that you're doing, it's what you are! It means-" Dean stopped, shaking his head.

"What? Say it." Sam said, tears in his eyes.

"Dean." I called in warning.

Dean glanced up at his brother, a tear falling from his eye. "It means you're a monster."

Nearly feeling the rage flow off of Sam in waves, he ripped the knife out of my hand, throwing it aside before pushing me out of his arms. From the force of his push, I hit the ground, seeing him harshly pull Ruby out of Dean's grasp, causing her to fall to her hands and knees before he punched Dean square in the face, sending him stumbling back a few steps.

My eyes widened at the scene that unfolded in front of me. Dean reared back, punching Sam hard as Ruby went for the knife. I scrambled over to it, reaching out to grab it, but before I could Ruby kicked me in the stomach, picking up the knife.

As a gust of air left my stomach, I rolled over, seeing Sam land another blow to Dean's face, sending him flying to the ground and he didn't get up. Sam stood over him, backing up a few feet, looking around the room at the destruction. I pulled in a ridged breath, staring up at him as he looked at me, then Ruby, almost what appears to be a tinge of anger in his eyes at her.

"Get out of here." Sam said. Ruby nodded, leaving the room without another word. Sam headed towards the door, turning back to Dean once he reached it. "You don't know me. You never did. And you never will."

Dean breathed heavily, staring up at his brother. "You walk out that door, don't you ever come back."

Sam seemed taken a-back by his words and if I was being honest, so was I. Sam glanced over at me, almost for conformation. But I didn't say anything, I didn't make any gestures. I just let the tears fall from my eyes as I watched him leave, slamming the door shut as he went.

* * *

 **One more guys. Who's ready for the end of Losing My Religion? :)**


	25. Lucifer Rising

_Life is bigger  
It's bigger than you, and you are not me  
The lengths that I will go to  
The distance in your eyes  
_… _..._

 _Every whisper, every waking hour  
I'm choosing my confessions  
Trying to keep an eye on you  
Like a hurt, lost and blind fool  
Oh no, I've said too much  
I set it up  
Consider this, consider this the hint of the century  
Consider this the slip that brought me to my knees, pale  
What if all these fantasies come flaming around?  
And now I've said too much_

 _..._

 _That's me in the corner_  
 _That's me in the spotlight_  
 _Losing my religion_  
 _Trying to keep a view_  
 _And I don't know if I can do it_  
 _Oh no, I've said too much_  
 _I haven't said enough_

 _I thought that I heard you laughing  
I thought that I heard you sing  
I think I thought I saw you try _

_But that was just a dream  
Try to cry, why try?_

 _That was just a dream  
Just a dream, just a dream  
Dream _

_**R.E.M. - Losing My Religion**_

* * *

We'd been back at Bobby's house for about a day and other than telling Bobby parts of what happened, Dean hadn't said much and I was left to tell Bobby the rest. Watching Sam go, it was an even worse feeling than having Ruby kick me in the gut. I was desperately to go after him, to try and stop him, to try and help him. But he wasn't listening.

"You should call him." Bobby grumbled for the millionth time.

"I did." I replied. "He didn't answer."

"Try again."

"Why don't you?" I snapped, my anger getting the better of me. We were all on edge, we were all each others punching bag right now.

"I did."

"And?"

"And he didn't answer."

"Well, there you go." I said throwing my arms to the side.

"Why doesn't he?" Bobby asked, throwing a hand out to Dean, who was sitting on the couch, staring out the window. "Dean?"

"Dean?" I called, beginning to worry about him at this point.

"Hey!" Bobby shouted, smacking the desk. Dean turned around, looking over at him. "You hear me, boy?"

"Yeah, I hear you. I'm not calling him." Dean replied.

"Don't make me get my gun."

"We are damn near kickoff for Armageddon, don't you think we got bigger fish at the moment?"

"I know you're pissed. And I'm not making apologies for what he's done, but he's your brother. And he's drowning."

"Bobby, I tried to help him, Tori and I both did. Look what happened."

"So try again."

"It's too late."

"There's no such thing."

"No, dammit!" Dean exclaimed, standing up. "No. I gotta face the facts. Sam never wanted part of this family. He hated this life growing up. Ran away to Stanford first chance he got. Now it's like déjà vu all over again."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at that as I leaned against the desk, folding my arms. "I don't think being addicted to demon blood is anywhere near wanting to go to college, Dean. You can't compare the two."

"He left then, he left now."

"He left then to go live his life away from all this bullshit!"

"Either way, I am sick and tired of chasing him! Screw him, he can do what he wants."

"You don't mean that."

"Yes I do. Sam's gone. He's gone. I'm not even sure if he's still my brother anymore. If he ever was."

"What?" I asked, looking at him in disapproval. "How can you say that, Dean?"

Suddenly, the sound of books crashing to the ground sounded behind me, startling me. I moved away from the desk, seeing that Bobby had pushed everything off, angrily stalking over to Dean. "You stupid, stupid son of a bitch! Well, _boo-hoo_ , I am so sorry your feelings are hurt, princess! Are you under the impression that family's supposed to make you feel good?! Make you an apple pie, maybe? They're supposed to make you miserable! That's why they're family!"

"I told him, _you walk out that door, don't come back_ and he walked out anyway!" Dean argued. "That was his choice!"

"You sound like a whiny brat. No, you sound like your dad. Well, let me tell you something. Your dad was a coward." Bobby said, making my eyes widen.

"My dad was a lot of things, Bobby, but a coward?"

"He'd rather push Sam away than reach out to him. Well, that don't strike me as brave. You are a better man than your daddy ever was. So you do both of us a favor. Don't be him." Bobby said, stomping out of the room. I let a few moments of silence pass before moving closer to Dean.

"You don't care about Sam anymore? The kid you looked out for your whole entire life. The kid that looked up to you. The kid you sent yourself to hell for?" I asked, tears in my eyes. Dean looked up at me from the ground, a sad and guilty look in his eyes. "You know that's not true, Dean. That's your anger talking. But it's not you. It's not who you are."

Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, the ringing in my ears popped to the forefront and we were standing in a large, white room lavishly decorated room with gold details and huge paintings on the walls and a marble table in the center. Dean and I shared a look of confusion before my eyes landed on Castiel, who stood a few feet away.

"Hello, Dean. Victoria."

"Where the hell are we?" I asked, turning to face him.

"Call it a green room." A man's voice came from the corner of the room. I looked over, seeing a familiar anger there.

"Zachariah?"

"We're closing in on the grand finale, here. We want to keep you safe before showtime." He said. Dean and I shared a look as he continued, gesturing to the table that was covered in bottles of beer and plates of burgers and fries. "Try a burger. They're from that adorable little diner in Delaware where you had your first official _date."_

"I'm not hungry." Dean said.

"Me either." I shook my head.

"No? Well, then, how about we leave you two for a little alone time?" Zachariah asked, nodding to a smaller marble table covered in so many tubes of lube, pieces of leather clothing and sex toys that I could barely focus my eyes on it. "I know you two are rather adventurous in the bedroom."

"Tempting." Dean mumbled, shaking his head as I grimaced. "Weird."

"We'll throw in your favorite actor and actress of choice."

"Okay, no." I interjected, rolling my eyes. "Let's cut the shit, okay? What's going on here?"

"Let us worry about that. We want the both of you focused and... _relaxed_." He said suggestively, wagging an eyebrow at me.

"Oh, I think I just threw up a little."

"Listen, we're about to be pissed and leaving, so start talking, Chuckles." Dean said.

"All the seals have fallen." Zachariah said. "Except one."

"That's an impressive score. That's right up there with the _Washington Generals"_

"You think sarcasm's appropriate, do you? Considering you started all this?" He asked. I narrowed my eyes at him as he continued. "But the final seal it'll be different."

"Why?"

"Lilith has to break it. She's the only one who can. Tomorrow night, midnight."

"Where?"

"We're working on it."

"Well, work harder."

"We'll do our job. You just make sure you do yours."

"Yeah, and what is that, exactly? If I'm supposed to be the one that stops her, how? With the knife?"

"All in good time."

"Isn't now a good time?"

"Have faith."

"What, in you? Give me one good reason why I should."

"Because you swore your obedience." Zachariah took a step forward, his eyes threatening as he stared at Dean. Castiel looked down with guilty eyes, vanishing. "So obey."

"Well, I didn't." I snapped, glaring at him as I stepped up. Could be kill me? Probably. But I was done cowering to them.

"You're right, you didn't. Not yet."

"Not ever."

A strange look of trepidation crossed Zachariah's eyes before he covered it up with arrogance as he stared down at me. "Don't be so sure."

* * *

 **CELLAR – NIGHT  
** SPOV

Even though I told Ruby my head was in the game, that I was concentrating and ready, parts of my mind was still foggy, thinking back to what happened between Dean and I in the motel room. I hated myself for lashing out the way I did. That wasn't me, I didn't do that. Not usually, anyway.

"Hello? Sam?" Ruby called. I blinked a few times, looking over at her. "Are you still mad at me? I already told you I was sorry for hurting Tori, I-"

"I know, you had to get the knife away-"

"Or she was gonna kill me, Sam." Ruby muttered, stepping closer to me.

"I know."

"We have to get started, we're running out of time."

I nodded, following her over to the table in the middle of the room where the blonde nurse we'd taken from the hospital was lying, strapped down as the demon in her thrashed. "What, no devil's trap?"

"I don't need one." I said.

"Look at you, all 'roided up. It's like _A-Rod_ and _Madonna_ over here."

"Where's Lilith?"

"I'm not scared of you."

"Yeah, you are, actually. And with good reason."

"Look, what's my upside? Okay, I tell you, you kill me. I don't tell you, you still kill me. I get away somehow, Lilith will definitely kill me. So where's my carrot?"

"I think what you should be worrying about is what happens before you die." I said, reaching a hand out towards her, concentrating hard, hearing her begin screaming in agony.

"Stop! Stop! Please!"

"You'll tell me where she is?"

"Fine. Just...let me die."

"Deal." I nodded, dropping my hand.

"Tomorrow night, midnight. She's gonna be at a convent. St. Mary's, Ilchester, Maryland." She panted.

"A convent?"

"Lilith...she's gonna break the final seal."

"And what is the final seal?"

"I don't know." She mumbled, with that, I lifted my hand and she screamed in pain. "I don't know, I swear! Please! I'm begging you. Kill me, please!"

"Fine."

I let out a breath, ready to kill the demon when Ruby grabbed my arm, stopping me. "Wait, you can't."

"Why not?"

"Because we've got to take her with us. It's the final run on the _Death Star_ and you need more juice than I got."

"You promised." The demon shrieked.

"Sorry, sister. You're a walking, talking can of whup-ass." Ruby shrugged.

"You bitch!"

"I know. Just can't trust anyone these days."

"Well, least you won't be able to crack me open that easy."

"That so?"

"Don't forget, it's not just me you're bleeding. In fact, I think I'm gonna take a little siesta in the subconscious, hand over the wheel for a little bit."

"What are you talking about?"

"Cindy McClellan, R.N., come on down!" She exclaimed before going limp, then suddenly jolting away with a gasp. "What- where am I? Oh, my god, I can't move. What's going on? Help! Help me, please."

* * *

Not able to listen to her pleads any longer, I headed back upstairs in the abandoned house, heading over to my laptop to do some research on St. Mary's. It didn't take long to find the long list of terrible things that happened there.

"What'd you find?" Ruby asked, walking up behind me.

"St. Mary's was abandoned in seventy-two after a priest disemboweled eight nuns."

"What's black and white and red all over?"

"That's not funny." I shook my head at her smirking face. "The priest said it wasn't his fault. He said a demon made him do it. And that he even remembered the demon's name."

"Yeah?"

"Azazel." I practically spat.

"Wow. So, Lilith, Yellow-Eyes – all the A-listers are paying visits. Certainly gives the joint credibility."

"As a place where the final seal goes down."

"Well, it's good enough for me. Let's pack u _Nurse Betty_ and hit the road." Ruby said, starting to walk away.

A feeling of guilt washed over me at her words and I knew I had to say something. "Hey, maybe-"

"What?"

"Maybe we can find another demon."

"Sam, no. That blubbery _don't hurt me_ shit, it's just an act. She's playing you."

"I'm not so sure."

"Even if she's not, there's still a hell-bitch snoozing in there. I mean, come on. It's not like you haven't done this before, right?"

* * *

Even though everything inside was screaming at me that this was wrong, I stomped those feelings down, telling myself that this was the only way as I brought Cindy outside. She struggled in my arms, pleading desperately as I led her to the car.

"No. Please don't. Just listen to me, okay? My name is Cindy McClellan. I'm a nurse in the _NICU_ over at Enfield Memorial. I have a husband named Matthew, okay? We've been married six years. He's got to be worried sick about me. And I don't even know who you are, and I'm not gonna tell anybody anything. Please just let me go."

I didn't say a word, opening the trunk, shoving her inside as she started screaming bloody murder, shutting it on her before leaning on the trunk, breathing heavily, trying to ignore her muffled cries for help.

* * *

 **GREEN ROOM  
** TPOV

After being left alone both Dean and I moved along each wall, meticulously looking for a way out of here. There was a door, but it wouldn't open. No windows. Just a box. With a huff, Dean pulled out his phone.

"Are you even getting reception?" I asked.

"Actually, I am." Dean said, looking a little shocked.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Huh." I shrugged, glancing back over to Dean to see him staring down at the screen of his phone. "You okay?"

"Oh, uh, yeah."

"Just do it, Dean."

"Do what?"

"Call your brother."

Dean stared over at me for a moment before letting out a sigh, mumbling something to himself about how it isn't fair that I can practically read his mind as he held the phone to his ear. I shook my head, a small smile on my face as I pretended to look around the room again so Dean wouldn't feel so uncomfortable making his call.

"Hey, it's me. Uh, look, I'll just get right to it. I'm still pissed...and I owe you a serious beatdown. But...I shouldn't have said what I said. You know, I'm not Dad. We're brothers. We're family. And...no matter how bad it gets, that doesn't change. Sammy, I'm sorry." Dean finished and I heard the beep of the phone as he hung up. "Alright, you can stop pretending to look around now."

"See, you can read my mind too." I murmured, walking back over to him.

"You know, before, Zachariah looked a little nervous when you said you wouldn't obey the angels."

"I noticed."

"I wonder what that was about." Dean mumbled, a thoughtful look coming into his eyes.

"I have no idea." I shrugged as Dean turned to a low shelf in the room, poking at a few of the figurines there, deliberately pushing one off, watching as it shattered on the ground. "Wait, are we trashing the place now? 'Cause if you want to, I'm in."

"Please don't." Cas said, appearing behind us. Dean turned, looking at him with guilty eyes.

I rolled mine, looking back. "Why are you here?"

"You called."

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "Listen, I need something."

"Anything you wish."

"I need you to take us to see Sam."

"Why?"

"There's something we got to talk to him about."

"What's that?"

"The B.M. I took this morning. Yeah, the three of us always get together and compare ours every day." Dean said sarcastically. I grimaced, scrunching my nose. "What's it to you? Just make it snappy."

"I don't think that's wise."

"Well, I didn't ask you for your opinion."

"Have you forgotten what happened the last time you met?"

"No. That's the whole point. Listen, I'm gonna do whatever you mooks want, okay?" Dean said. I let out a breath, not liking Dean telling them he would do whatever, even if it was to get out of here. "I just need to tie up this one thing. Five minutes, that's all we need."

"No."

"What do you mean, no? Are you saying we're trapped here or something?" I asked.

"You can go wherever you want."

"Great. We want to go see Sam."

"Except there."

"Then we want to take a walk." Dean said. "In a park. Fresh air."

"Fine. I'll go with you."

"Okay, well what if I told you we wanted to go to a park to have sex?" I asked. "You gonna do that with us, too?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dean make a face at what I'd said. Cas looked a bit uncomfortable for a moment before going back to his stoic self. "You can do that here without my presence. There have been many amenities provided for your...pleasure."

"Christ." I huffed.

"You know what? Screw this noise, let us out of here." Dean demanded.

"I can't do that." Cas replied.

"You're a bastard."

"I'm sorry."

And with that, he was gone.

* * *

 **CAR – NIGHT  
** SPOV

With Ruby in the driver seat, I was left alone with my own thoughts. Nothing else to concentrate on but the woman still screaming in the trunk. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, seeing quite a few missed calls from Bobby, Tori and lastly Dean, who had left a voicemail.

"What are you, a 12-year-old girl?" Ruby asked, looking down at the screen of my phone. "Just play it already."

"Mind your own business." I snapped back, the sound of the woman kicking at the trunk grating on my nerves. "God, I wish she would just shut up."

"Well, that can be arranged." Ruby shrugged, to which I just glared. "I don't get it. All the demons you cut with the knife, what do you think happens to the host? How is this any different?"

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"I know that you're having a tough time here, Sam. This girl is probably hitting your soft spots, making you think about Victoria. Just an innocent caught in the crossfire. But we're in the final lap here. Now is not the time to grow a persqueeter."

"Would you drop the fucking attitude? I'm about to bleed and drink an innocent woman. While she watches."

"And save the world as a result."

"I don't know. I- I just...I'm starting to think that maybe Dean and Tori were right." I admitted, shrinking down in the seat slightly.

"About what?" Ruby asked, not at all trying to hide her shock.

"About everything."

"We're gonna see this through, right, Sam?"

I didn't answer, instead going back to look out of the window.

I wasn't sure anymore. I didn't know what to think.

* * *

 **GREEN ROOM  
** TPOV

After Cas had left, Dean and I both pretty much said _fuck it_ and began kicking and hitting the walls with anything we could find. Once a hole was broken, it would immediately heal itself, leaving us with no escape whatsoever. I breathed heavily as I placed the medium sized statue I'd just hit the wall with back onto the ground, watching as the hole disappeared before my eyes.

"Quit hurling feces like a howler monkey, would you? It's unbecoming." Zachariah muttered. I turned around, seeing him standing right behind me.

"Let us out of here." I said, standing up to face him as Dean made his way over.

"Like I told you, too dangerous out there. Demons on the prowl."

"Demons have been after me my whole life. We've been getting our asses kicked all year and _now_ you're worried about our safety?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're lying. Let us see Sam."

"That's... ill-advised."

"You know, I am so sick of your shit=riddles and your smug, fat face." Dean spat. "What the hell is going on, huh? Why can't we see Sam? And how am I gonna ice Lilith?"

Zachariah sighed. "You're not...going to _ice_ Lilith.

"What?"

"Lilith's going to break the final seal. _Fait accompli_ at this point. Train's left the station."

"But we- we can stop-" Dean paused, realization coming into his eyes. "You don't want to stop it, do you?"

"Nope. Never did. The end is nigh. The apocalypse is coming, kiddo, to a theater near you."

"What was all that shit about saving seals then?" I asked.

"Our grunts on the ground, we couldn't just tell them the whole truth. We'd have a full-scale rebellion on our hands. I mean, think about it. Would we really let sixty-five seals get broken unless senior management wanted it that way?"

"But why?"

"Why not? The apocalypse? Poor name, bad marketing, puts people off. When all it is, _Ali_ vs, _Foreman._ On a slightly larger scale. And we like our chances. When our side wins, and we will, it's paradise on earth. Now, what's not to like about that?"

"What happens to all the people during your little pissing contest?" Dean asked.

"Well, you can't make an omelet without cracking a few eggs. In this case, truckloads of eggs, but you get the picture. Look it happens. This isn't the first planetary enema we've delivered."

"What about Sam? He won't go quietly. He'll stop Lilith."

"Sam has a part to play. A very important part. He may need a little nudging in the right direction, but I'll make sure he plays it."

"What does that mean?" I asked,realization falling over me. "Did you let Sam out of the panic room?"

"Not personally, no."

"But one of you did."

"Yes."

"Who?"

"Well-"

"What are you gonna do to Sam?" Dean pressed.

"Sam, Sam, Sam. _Marcia, Marcia, Marcia._ Forget about him, would you? You have larger concerns. Why do you think I'm confiding in you two? You're still vital. We weren't lying about your destiny. Just omitted a few pertinent details. But nothing's changed. Both of you are chosen. Both of you will stop it."

"Both of us?" I asked.

"Yes. You- you, Victoria, play a very special part in all of this. And together-" Zachariah gestured to both Dean and I. "Together, you will stop it. Just not Lilith, or the apocalypse. That's all."

Dean and I shared a nervous look and I glanced back to Zachariah. "Which means what?"

"Lucifer. You're going to stop Lucifer. And when it's over, and when you've won, your rewards will be...unimaginable. Never-ending peace and happiness. Trust me, one day, we'll look back on this and laugh."

"Tell me something. Where's God in all this?" Dean asked.

"God? God has left the building."

* * *

There wasn't even though time for Dean and to speak to each other after Zachariah left, because as soon as he was gone, Castiel appeared.

Dean turned, looking at him. "What are you gonna do to Sam?"

"Nothing." Cas replied. "He's gonna do it to himself."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dean asked, to which Cas just looked down. "Oh, right, right. Got to toe the company line. Why are you here, Cas?"

"We've been through much together." Cas said, looking between Dean and I.

"We have?" I asked.

"Yes."

"I haven't been through a thing with you."

"That's not true, Victoria. I've been there for you more than you know." Cas said, his eyes boring into mine. I shook my head, looking away as Castiel glanced back to Dean. "I just wanted to say, I'm sorry it ended like this."

"Sorry?" Dean asked, punching Cas in the face. He barely even flinched, but Dean flexed his hand, clearly in pain. "It's Armageddon, Cas. You need a bigger word than _sorry_."

"Try to understand, this is long foretold. This is your-"

"What, destiny?" I asked. "I don't want to hear that _holy prophesy_ bullshit."

"Don't you get it, Cas?" Dean asked. "It's all a bunch of lies, you poor, stupid son of a bitch! It's just a way for your bosses to keep us and keep you in line! You know what's real? People, families, that's real. And you're gonna watch them all burn?"

"What is so worth saving? I see nothing but pain here. I see inside you. I see your guilt, your anger, confusion. In paradise, all is forgiven. You'll be at peace with Victoria. Even with Sam."

"You can take your peace and shove it up your lily-white ass. 'Cause I'll take the pain and the guilt. I'll even take Sam as is. It's a lot better than being some _Stepford_ bitch in paradise."

"You've always wanted peace, Victoria." Cas said, looking over at me. "It's something you've dreamed of for a long time."

"Maybe but I don't want peace for myself if it kills everyone else!" I exclaimed. "Cas, there's a right and wrong. And this, just letting millions of innocent people die when it can be stopped? It's wrong. You know it's wrong. You have to."

"You were gonna help us once, weren't you? You were gonna warn me about all this, before they dragged you back to Bible camp." Dean said, to which Cas looked down, silently saying yes. "Help us now. Please."

"What would you have me do?" He asked, looking up.

"Take us to Sam. We can stop this before it's too late."

"I do that, we will all be hunted. We'll all be killed."

"If there is anything worth dying for, it's this." I murmured. Cas shook his head, looking back down.

"You spineless, soulless son of a bitch. What do you care about dying? You're already dead. I'm done." Dean shook his head angrily as he walked away.

"Dean." Cas called, but Dean ignored him.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is not how you win, Cas. Deep down you know that because you _are_ different. And you care. I can tell. The way- the way you look when you talk about my mother-" At the mention of my mother Cas's head shot up and he watched me closely, that very look I was talking about filling his eyes. One of remembrance, sadness, maybe even a little love. "You cared about her. And even though it was brief, when I saw her mention you, she looked happy. You knew her better than I ever could. So let me ask you, would she want you to let people suffer and lose their lives? Is that something she'd be okay with?"

A look of guilt crossed Cas's face and without a single word, he disappeared, leaving Dean and I alone once again.

* * *

 **ROAD – NIGHT  
** SPOV

The sign before me was illuminated by the moon, the words shining clearly. _St. Mary's Convent – 2 miles_. Behind me, I could still hear the woman screaming in the trunk of the car, crying to be let out.

"Sam, it's time. Are we doing this or not?" Ruby asked.

"Give me a minute to think."

"Sam-"

"Give me a damn minute, Ruby!" I snapped.

"Better think fast."

With a sigh, I pulled my phone from my pocket, going to the voicemails, listening to Dean's.

" _Listen to me, you bloodsucking freak. Dad always said we'd either have to save you or kill you. Well, I'm giving you fair warning. I'm done trying to save you. So is Tori. You're a monster, Sam – a vampire. You're not you anymore. And there's no going back_."

The tears sprang to my eyes as I heard Dean's harsh tone, his words cutting through me like a knife. That's really what he thought of me? It wasn't just fight-induced rage. He really thought that.

Snapping the phone shut, I turned back to Ruby. "Do it."

"Thank god." She mumbled, opening the trunk to reveal the crying woman, mercilessly dragging her out.

"What are you doing?" She asked. Ruby put a hand over her mouth as I walked over with the knife, slicing her arm, bending down to drink the blood hungrily as she cried and screamed.

* * *

 **GREEN ROOM  
** TPOV

Sitting at the large marble table, I rested my chin in my hand, watching Dean as he paced back and forth. Suddenly, Cas appeared, holding a finger to his lips, silently telling us to be quiet. Both Dean and I watched with wide, confused and surprised eyes as Cas pulled out a knife, staring questioningly at Dean, who glanced over at me for a second before nodding back at Cas.

Cas drew the knife across Dean's forearm, taking some blood on his had, smearing it on the wall to create what I now knew as an angel banishing sigil.

"Castiel! Would you mind explaining just what the hell you're doing?" Zachariah appeared, looking furious. I stood up as Cas finished drawing the sigil, slamming his hand in the center of it. In a bright flash of white light Zachariah vanished.

"He won't be gone long." Cas said, healing Dean's wound. "We have to find Sam now. We have to stop him from killing Lilith."

"But Lilith's gonna break the final seal." Dean said.

"Lilith is the final seal. She dies, the end begins."

"Okay...well, where is Sam?" I asked.

"I don't know. But I know who does."

With that, Cas placed a hand on mine and Dean's shoulder's and in the blink of an eye we were in a very familiar looking living room, the prophet jumping at the sight of us, the whiskey in his glass spilling all over his kitchen floor.

"Wait. T- t- this isn't supposed to happen." Chuck muttered before answering someone on the phone. "No, lady, this is definitely supposed to happen, but I just got to call you back."

"Where the hell is my brother?" Dean asked as Chuck hung up.

"Why are you here?"

"We need to find out where Sam is, Chuck. Now!" I said through gritted teeth, taking a step towards him.

Chuck cowered back slightly, holding his hands out in front of him. "Uh, I- I saw- I saw him in a convent."

"A convent?"

"St. Mary's."

"You guys aren't supposed to be there. You're not in this story."

"Yeah, well..." Cas began, glancing over at me before looking back to Chuck. "We're making it up as we go."

Suddenly, Chuck's computer flickered as a low rumbling began underneath our feet, the ringing in my ears getting louder as a bright light poured through the room. Chuck looked around, letting out a huff. "Aw, man! Not again!"

"It's the archangel. I'll hold him off. I'll hold them all off! Just stop Sam!" Cas said, slapping Dean and I on the shoulders again.

When I opened my eyes, we were in the hallway of a convent and my stomach churned, flopping wildly. Just as Dean and I turned down another hallway, in the room at the very end, we saw Sam holding his hand out towards Lilith, Ruby behind him shooting a smirk at us before shutting the door.

* * *

SPOV

Without another thought, I entered the sanctuary with my hand out, the fresh demon blood I consumed pumping through my veins, allowing me to easily fling Lilith across the room, slamming her into the altar, holding her back against it.

"I've been waiting for this...for a very long time." I said, my jaw clenched.

"Then give me your best shot." Lilith smiled.

Without any strain, I pushed my hand towards her and a white light shined on her as she cried out in pain as a loud heartbeat rang in my ears. Behind me I heard muffled shouting and pounding on the door, and I turned to look, seeing the door shaking.

"Sam!" Tori called.

"Sammy!" Dean shouted.

"Guys?" I called through the loud pounding in my head.

"What are you waiting for?! Now! Sam, now!" Ruby called, her voice fading.

"You turned yourself into a freak. A monster. And now you're not gonna bite? I'm sorry, but that is honestly adorable." Lilith laughed.

With that, I turned to face her, raising my hand again, concentrating all my power on her. The pounding in my head quickened as her body glowed in a white light and she began convulsing. The heartbeat in my head began slowing down as I lowered my arm, watching her light flicker out and her body go limp.

Once she was dead, blood began pouring from her body in a very deliberate and straight stream towards the center of the room.

"What the hell?" I asked, my brow furrowed as I watched it.

"I can't believe it." Ruby mumbled.

"Ruby, what's going on?"

"You did it. I mean, it was a little touch-and-go there for a while, but... you did it."

"What? What- what did I do?"

"You opened the door. And now he's free at last. He's free at last!"

The feeling of betrayal and dread filled me quickly as her words sank in, but I shook my head, refusing to believe it. "No, no, he- Lilith- I stopped her. I killed her!"

" _And it is written that the first demon shall be the last seal_. And you bust her open." Ruby smiled as a feeling of pain ran through my head. "Now guess who's coming to dinner."

"Oh, my god."

"Guess again. You don't even know how hard this was! All the demons out for my head. No one knew. I was the best of those sons of bitches! The most loyal! Not even Alastair knew! Only Lilith! Yeah, I'm sure you're a little angry right now, but, I mean, come on, Sam! Even you have to admit, I'm- I'm awesome!

"You bitch. You lying bitch!" I exclaimed, thrusting my hand out to her. Instead of anything happening to her, I felt that same sharp pain run though my head and clutched it tightly as I fell to my knees.

"Don't hurt yourself, Sammy. It's useless. You shot your payload on the boss."

"The blood...you poisoned me."

"No. It wasn't the blood. It was you...and your choices." She practically cooed, crouching in front of me. "I just gave you the options, and you chose the right path every time. You didn't need the feather to fly, you had it in you the whole time, _Dumbo_! I know it's hard to see it now...but this is a miracle. So long coming. Everything Azazel did, and Lilith did. Just to get you here. And you were the only one who could do it."

"Why? W-why me?"

"Because it had to be you, Sammy. It always had to be you. You saved us. You set him free. And he's gonna be grateful. He's gonna repay you in ways that you can't even imagine."

* * *

TPOV

After seeing the bright light from under the door, we both knew something bad had happened. But we still had to get in there, we still had to get to Sam. And finally with much struggle, and hitting the door with a large candelabra, we finally busted through. My eyes landed on Sam, who was kneeling on the ground looking tired and then Ruby who was crouching in front of him, a smug grin on her face.

"You're too late."

"I don't care." Dean said, advancing towards her. Sam stood, grabbing one of Ruby's arms from behind. In his weakened state, she nearly shrugged out of his grasp when Dean grabbed her other arm tightly, holding her in place.

"I told you I'd kill you, you fucking bitch." I spat, swiping the knife from her belt, looking her right in the eyes as I plunged it into her stomach. Ruby let out a cry of pain, the flame-colored lights flickering inside her before she went limp and the boys let her drop to the ground, dead.

A stream of blood coming from Lilith finished into a pattern in the center of the floor, a white light shooting up from of the middle of it, the convent walls beginning to tremble around us.

"I'm sorry." Sam murmured, tears running down his cheeks.

"Sammy, let's go. We gotta go." Dean said, grabbing my arm and his brother's jacket as Sam clutched onto his shirt, staring at the light.

"He's coming."

The volume of the ringing in my ears shot up rapidly as the light got brighter, and I could barely move as I watched it glow. And before I knew it, a huge flash of white filled the room, enveloping us.

* * *

 **Holy. Crap. You have no idea how excited/shocked/happy I am that I just finished season 4 and can mark it as complete!**

 **I totally didn't think I'd get this far, and I definitely kept going because of you guys and your kind reviews! So thank you to everyone who has left encouraging reviews. But even if you haven't left a review, it still means a lot to me that you're even reading these stories, you have no idea.**

 **I love all of you guys. Honestly. You're awesome.**

 **If you were worried at all (probably not lol) don't. This is not the end. I repeat, this is not the end. I gotta keep going, I mean we're just getting started here ;)**

 **So, at some point I'm going to post _The Forgotten_ which follows season 5, but I don't know exactly when that'll be, so if you're not following me on here, you should so you can be notified! **

**As always thanks for reading and I hope you liked it!**

 **Twitter: phoenixwrites79  
Instagram: phoenixwritesfanfiction**


End file.
